Rabbit Fox's Apprentice
by SilentFright
Summary: Kyuubi always had the proverbial raincloud floating over his head. Can he survive the boredom of his imprisonment by helping his container? No Yaoi. Narutox?
1. Atop the Mighty Bunny Rabbit

A three-year old Naruto Uzumaki woke up under a foot of water. Blinking his wide innocent eyes multiple times, he looked around confusedly before water entered his lungs and he sat up, choking and splashing the walls around him. He coughed several times, looking around as he did so. Worried eyes searched the blank walls and the pipes running along the ceiling. Perhaps the caretakers had put him in the basement again? No, this place was not the basement, there was too much water on the ground for that.

"…H-home?"

His voice echoed down the corridor. His head snapped to the left as he heard a low sound in the echo in response. He shivered subconsiously; that sound reminded him of an approaching rain storm. He crawled to it none the less, wanting to get out of…wherever he was. He finally stopped by a giant door. Putting a small hand on it, he was surprised when the door swung open easily. His eyes were met with an odd sight: A gigantic room, with a large set of bars dividing the room in two. The other side of the bars was unusually dark, as if looking out a window from a well-lit room to the nighttime darkness.

"**Kid…**" A pair of giant red eyes opened, and the darkness slightly lightened, revealing a giant fox with nine tails grinning at him.

"**Tell me**," the fox rumbled, it's grin malicious and devious, "**are you afraid?**"

A silence met his ears, and he sweat dropped at the child below him. The toddler had one hand on his chin in a cute thinking pose, with his baby face screwed up in thought, as if trying to place something in his memory with the giant being in front of him.

Suddenly the baby's eyes lit up in delight, and it pointed a slightly chubby finger at the horrid beast.

"BUNNY RABBIT!"

"**WHAAAAAAAT?!!!**" Kyuubi bellowed in rage, "**I'LL GIVE YOU BUNNY RABBIT YOU LITTLE-**"

Naruto's face went from happy to frightened in a split second, evoking a pause from the mighty beast. The baby had a teary look in his eyes, and a tense silence filled the air.

"**Oh shit.**"

"WAHHHHHHH!!!!" The sound of wailing filled the room, magnified a thousand fold by the echoes. The kyuubi stuffed two tails in his rabbit-like ears, trying to muffle out the sound. He had never heard this dreadful of a sound before, it made him want to either run away in terror or snap the child's neck. Kyuubi reached the breaking point.

"**WHERE'S YOUR OFF BUTTON?!**" the beast bellowed, shoving two tails through the bar and prodding the baby all over its body with them. The crying immediately stopped, and the tearful face was replaced by a giggling wet one.

"SOFT BUNNY RABBIT!" he screeched and gripped the fur on two of his tails. The beast snarled in frustration, trying to shake the infant off of his tails in wide swings. Finally the child let go, but was catapulted through the bars and onto the beast's nose.

Silence reigned. The beast had to be cross-eyed in order to stare at the child giggling on his snout. A loud snort echoed through the cavern.

"**You know something,**" Kyuubi began with a sigh, anger forgotten for the moment, "**I was going to have a long monologue on how you are my container and therefore you need to survive and shit, but you know what, I don't think you'd understand…or listen for that matter.**"

He touched a tail to the boys forehead and concentrated. A golden glow flowed down the tail and into the child, who laughed yet again, waving his arms through the golden light around him.

"**You're going to piss off most of your opponents in the future,**" Kyuubi began, "**because I just gave you-**"

"BURP!"

"**DAMN YOU FOR RUINING THE MOMENT!!**" the beast screeched indignantly, and threw the child back into the land of the…awake(?) without finishing his sentence.

The next morning two caretakers decided to check on the demo- I mean Naruto. They opened the door to Naruto's dilapidated bedroom, only to see a wood plank levitating in the middle of the room with the child giggling and waving his arms around underneath it.

"YOU _DEMON_!" One of the caretakers screeched taking a step forward.

Naruto frowned immediately, and the plank shot forward, knocking out the caretaker with a loud slapping noise that would have been hilarious if not for the tension in the room. The other caretaker stared in fear at the little child as it pointed toward the unconscious caretaker, who had mini images of wood planks circling over his head.

"He was mean to me."

The patron of the orphanage would later describe the scream that happened next as "the fright of a little girl who just met Gai." Little did everyone know that the phrase would later be changed to "the fright of a little boy who just met Orochimaru."


	2. Beardy, Bunny, and Blondie

Beardy, Bunny, and Blondie.

The next day saw a rather odd change in schedule. Normally the caretakers would burst into his room shouting obscenities (not that he knew what they meant), but today the door was pushed gently open. A wizened face peered around the door, a pipe hanging from its mouth. The door opened the rest of the way, revealing an old man in red and white robes, the Hokage of the village. He strode slowly over to the crib.

"Naruto" he murmured, shaking the child gently, "wake up."

Wide innocent eyes opened sleepily, but they snapped open at the sight of the Hokage.

"BEARDY-CHAN!"

"Naruto," the Hokage sighed, "what did I tell you just yesterday about that?"

The thinking pose returning, the baby sat for a few moments before answering. He raised a chubby index finger in the air in proclamation.

"DON'T TALK TO STRANGERS!" the baby screeched.

"HOKAGE-SAMA!"

Sarutobi whipped around to see the door burst open and several forms stumble through it. They all had an assortment of weapons and a matching uniform. The Hokage sweat dropped as he saw the airtight bio-hazard suits. Obviously they were overreacting due to yesterday's….interesting events.

"WE SHALL SAVE YOU FROM THE DEMON!" yelled the caretakers in unison.

They took one step forward before a whooshing sound was heard. The caretakers crumpled and fell to the floor unconscious. The Hokage blinked and released the kunai that he wasn't quick enough to use. He turned to Naruto only to see the baby trying to shove what suspiciously looked like a wood plank under his bed sheet. Several Anbu appeared in the room and shouldered the caretakers before disappearing. There was a long silence as the Hokage squinted into the infant's wide innocent-looking eyes, looking for traces of guilt that he knew he wasn't going to find.

"Uh, ok," the Hokage turned back to Naruto, sweat dropping, "how was your day yesterday Naruto?"

The infant's eyes lit up in excitement.

"I SAW A GIANT BUNNY!" the child yelled, "AND IT HAD REAAAAALLLY SOFT TAILS!"

"A rabbit, you mean?"

"YEAH! IT WAS ALL RED AND IT HAD A WEIRD HEAD!"

(Kyuubi: **WHHHHHAAAAAAAAT?!!!!!!!**)

"Really, it was red?" the Hokage mused, inhaling from his pipe, "What else can you tell me about this…bunny rabbit?"

"IT WAS A SUPER MEANIE," the blonde pouted, crossing his little arms, "IT YELLED AT ME."

"REALLY," the Hokage spoke, playing along with what he thought was a game, "Why did he do that?"

"Well, Beardy-chan," Naruto whispered behind his hand, "I don't think he was very smart."

(Kyuubi: **-Twitch-**)

"AND HE SMELLED WEIRD TOO!" Naruto suddenly shouted with flames in his eyes.

(Kyuubi: **GOD IS A SADIST! -head butting bars- NO AMOUNT OF SLAIN HUMAN LIVES DESERVES THIS TORTURE!**)

The Hokage sighed and pulled a stack of papers and crayons out of his robes.

"Naruto, I heard you've been getting into trouble recently, so I brought these for you," he sighed, "Keep yourself occupied please."

The man spared the child one last glance before slowly exiting the room. Right when the door closed, the blonde felt a weird feeling come over him, like someone smashing an egg over his head and letting the substance drip down his body.

He didn't have long to register this as he was pulled into a sweet unconsciousness.

He opened his eyes to the cage of the mighty Kyuubi, who was shaking in rage and staring daggers at him. The boy clapped happily.

"HELLLOOO BUNNNNY-CHAN!!!!"

"**GAH! I AM NOT A PATHETIC RODENT! I EAT TRUCKLOADS OF THOSE MINIATURE HAIRY PIGS AS A MIDNIGHT SNACK!**"

"BUT-BUT YOU HAVE BUNNY RABBIT EARS!"

"**DO NOT!**"

"DO TOO!"

"**DO NOT!**"

"DO TOO!"

"**DO NOT!**"

"DO NOT!"

"**DO TOO! HAHAHAHA I WIN…WAIT,**" Kyuubi slapped his muzzle with his paw, "**DAMN YOU!**"

The baby clapped happily and started sucking on his thumb. The Kyuubi stared at him, sweat dropping. He had been tricked by a three year old? He must be losing his edge…severely.

"**Listen you little snot,**" the Kyuubi demanded, "**I have three rules and as long as I am your teacher you will listen to them. GOT IT?!!!**"

The blonde giggled and continued sucking his thumb.

"**Uh, I'll take that as a yes,**" Kyuubi muttered before continuing, "**RULE NUMBER ONE: You will always call me KYUUBI-SAMA, or THE MARVELOUS NINE-TAILED FOX AND ALL HIS GLORY!!!**"

"K-ky-kyu," the baby babbled, confused, "kyuuuuu-kyuuuuuuuu."

"**YES! YES!**" the beast shouted triumphantly, gripping the bars with his paws, "**SAY MY NAME AND FEAR ME!**"

"Kyuuuuu," the baby whined, "Kyuuuuuu-"

The blonde suddenly stopped. The beast paused his shouting to stare at the infant, who's eyes were shadowed by his hair. A tension filled the room as the baby raised his head…only to reveal a look that Kyuubi thought was downright evil.

"Kutie-sama," the baby cooed, a light glinting in his eyes, "CUTIE-SAMA!"

"**NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!**"

A huge thunderstorm broke out over Kyuubi's head and giant drops of water pelted the demon.

"**DON'T YOU DARE CALL ME THAT BLONDIE!!**"

"CUTIE BUNNY RABBIT-SAMA!"

"**DAMN YOU TO HELL YOU LITTLE SHIT!**"

"D-DAMN," the little baby repeated happily, "SHIT!"

"**THAT'S RIGH-,**" the Kyuubi realized what the baby had just said,"**Uh oh.**"

The baby continued to cuss the Kyuubi's ears off for the next five minutes. When he was done it looked like he had settled down enough for Kyuubi to continue his little speech.

"**RULE NUMBER TWO!**" Kyuubi spoke seriously, ignoring the drooling child in front of him, "**You must always show respect, and no talking back.**"

"BURP!"

"**GAH!**"

"N-NO TALKING BACK! R-RES-RESPECT!"

"**That's right,**" the Kyuubi sighed, and his eyes grew deadly serious, "**And my last rule is my most important one.**"

He brought his head down to eye level with the child.

"**Never give up,**" Kyuubi murmured in a gentleness that did not match him, "**Never give up, even when you are in your dying hour. Understood?**"

The child seemed to understand, for he smiled a toothy smile and shouted the phrase that he would be known for by people all over the world.

"NEVER GIVE UP!"

"**THAT'S RIGHT BRAT!**" the Kyuubi yelled with flames in his eyes, "**NOW LET'S GET TRAINING!**"

Fireworks and flames shot up around Kyuubi's form as he pointed a claw toward the ceiling in a dramatic pose. There was a loud silence. The Kyuubi glanced at the child and saw that he was asleep and snoring.

"**WHHHHAAAAAAAAAT?!**" the demon screamed in disbelief, "**YOU FALL ASLEEP RIGHT WHEN I'M DOING MY SUPER AWESOME NINE-TAILS POSE?!!!!** **NOOOOOOOOO!**"


	3. The Path of the Dumbass

Hey everyone, welcome back to the third chapter of RFA! I'm gonna do a super time-skip here, so make sure you buckle up and keep your hands, arms, legs, feet, and tails inside the fanfic at all time. Thank you and have a wonderful day at "RabbitLand, the Hoppiest Place on Earth!" -Goes and kills self from horrible pun- We should go ride the "SilentFright" roller coaster….*griiiiiiiin*

Summary: *sigh* Read last chapter to find out.

Pairings: Narutox…..not telling (I already have a pairing in mind so no suggestions plawkz! :D )

Disclaimer: Oh go shoot yourself. You know I don't own it.

* * *

_**The Path of the…Dumbass**_

Seven years. The passage of time in itself had seemed slow and lagging, but looking back it seems to have gone in the time it takes to flip a coin. And this coin toss was the best and worst of Naruto's life.

He had a family. This consisted of Iruka sensei, Ayame, Teuichi, Hokage-jiji, and even Kyuubi, who held a grudging acceptance of this arrangement.

He had, however, lost his infantile innocence that had given him a five year grace period before the villagers started beating him.

He had gained his own apartment.

It now had millions of burns and "demon" etchings on the side of it.

He was being trained by the "Mighty Nine-Tails and All His Glory."

But most important of all….

[Scene Change]

**Konohagakure, 500 A.D.C.A.R. (After discovery of chakra and ramen.) 9:00 P.M. , 10 October. **

The dark streets of Konoha were filled with thugs. From little girls stealing lollipops, to cats fighting in the alleys, to the accursed sidewalk tripping the helpless pedestrians left and right. Yeah, things were bad. And there was one person to solve it all.

[cue theme music]

"WAHAHAHAHAHA!" guffawed a blonde figure on the roof above the street., causing civilians to stop and look upwards. The figure stepped into the light and the passing pedestrians groaned and face palmed.

"SIDEWALK OF DOOM!" the orange-spandex wearing buffoon pointed downward, "BY THE POWER OF MY AWESOMENESS, YOU SHALL BE VANQUISHED!"

Naruto was wearing a tight orange spandex costume with bright yellow boots and gloves, something he had begun wearing a few weeks back. It had been hell for the villagers. The civilians just shook their heads continued their daily proceedings, giving no more attention to the orange-clad "Superhero" that was trying to save them from the street. The figure jumped down from the building onto the sidewalk with a crouch, a crazed look in his eyes.

Several of the villagers scoffed at his appearance, sneering at his smaller form.

"You idiotic brat," one of them spoke, "leave us alone."

"Yeah," another said, inspired by the first speaker, "You'll never amount to anything, demon."

Naruto grew slightly angry, and gritted his teeth.

"OH YEAH?! I'LL SHOW THEM! TAKE THIS!"

He slammed his fist into the street, his knuckles punching forcefully onto the sidewalk. The world stood still as a slight groan echoed from the sidewalk…and Naruto's hand crumpled.

"AGH! NO! I AM DEFEATED!" feigned the blonde hero, "BUT BY THE POWER OF AWESOMENESS I SHALL RETURN!"

He jumped away along the rooftops, his maniacal grin fading increasingly with each leap.

_But most important of all…_

Naruto sighed as he opened the door to his apartment, only for it to break off of the hinges and heavily fall onto the wood floor. He stared at it a few seconds, his mind whirring with conflicting emotions. His face drew up into a snarl.

"DAMN IT!"

He kicked the door into the wall, then stormed into his bedroom. He threw himself onto his bed, before grabbing an empty bottle and smashing himself over the head with it. Drool seeped from his mouth as consciousness left him quickly.

He 'awoke' in the wet cellar that he was very familiar to. His anger left him almost instantly. This sewer was his real home. He had no reason to be angry here. A content smile appeared on his face, and he calmly strode into a familiar large room.

"Hey Bunny-Chan!" The blond yelled happily, mirth dripping from his words.

"**Hello dumbass," **the Kyuubi retorted, "**How was your day?**"

"Hey, I resent that," Naruto returned, "It was your idea for me to act like this anyway."

"**Yeah, not a good idea in hindsight, I admit**," the demon muttered, examining its claws.

"It's an interesting concept though," Naruto thought aloud, "Making everyone underestimate me."

"**Yeah, well, right now there isn't much for them to underestimate.**"

"Again, your fault."

"…**You have a point**."

Naruto smiled. This is why he enjoyed coming here. Talking to Kyuubi always felt like he was in the company of his uncle, or perhaps even his father. His favorite place was right here in front of this cage. The beast seemed to sense his comfort and frowned.

"**You know, kid,**" the beast began, "**you shouldn't keep coming here.**"

"Why not?" the smile slipped from the blond's face instantly. Kyuubi winced.

"**This place…isn't real. You are denying yourself of the real world when it's right in front of you," **the demon spoke firmly, "**You need to experience what's out there. Many demons have wasted away in their own mindscapes while they were trying to get away from their real life.**"

Naruto growled.

"What's out there for me, huh? Kyuubi?" the child asked viciously, "What's ou there in the _REAL _world? Hate? How about violence?! HOW ABOUT THE ENDLESS FEELING OF BEING ALONE!? WHAT ABOUT-"

The Kyuubi's tail shot out and impacted Naruto's stomach, stopping his rant. The Kyuubi growled and tossed the body into a wall, letting the child slide down it to his butt. Tearful eyes stared into the Kyuubi's.

"**Don't lecture ME about solitude, human,**" the demon growled, his eyes flashing, "**I've been alone for millions of years. You have no CLUE what the word truly means.**"

"I…I…" Naruto tried to form words but couldn't. He drooped his head, ashamed.

"**Kit,**" Kyuubi began again, "**There are some horrible things in life that scar you forever. But you MUST experience them. The hardships we encounter in our lives shape us into the beings we are destined to be. I would know.**"

That last bit was muttered, but Naruto still heard it. His head twitched up as if to ask about it, but his shame caught back up to him and he just nodded. Kyuubi eyed him and smirked at the obedience. A thought came to his mind.

"**Speaking of horrifying things…" **the beast spoke, smirking, "**Do you know what you are doing next week?**"

"Huh? You mean the academy?" the blond answered, confused, "It's my first day there. I thought you knew that."

" **I wasn't talking about that pathetic school of yours,**" Kyuubi grinned, "**However, I **_**am**_** going use it as a cover for your… 'training'."**

Naruto's head shot up like a rocket and he leapt threw the bars onto the demon's muzzle.

"TRAINING?!"

"**GET YOUR FATASS OFF OF MY FACE!**"

"Sorry Mighty Nine-Tailed Fox and All His Glory!"

"**DUMB BRAT!**"

"Uh, Kyuubi-sensei," the blond looked at the beast quizzically, "If you don't mind me asking, why didn't we start training earlier?"

"**Well, for one, its not safe to make a still-growing child work out. It stunts your growth.**"

"Oh, ok."

"**Now,**" the beast huffed after the blonde had leapt down, "**the bigger reason I didn't start you off earlier is that I needed you at a point where I could immediately train you in everything without having to wait.**"

"Ne? I don't understand."

"**Many don't. There is a point in a human's life where the chakra system hits a crossroad in its development. It either spirals to the left, or right, depending on your affinity. That's where I come in.**"

"What's an affinity?"

"**An element that you can use easier than the others,**" the beast spat, "**now shut up while I finish.** **Eh-hem. Having a demon in your stomach changes the chakra system. The difference between the development of a Human's and Jinchuuriki's chakra system is that while for regular humans, their chakra system only begins 'twisting' at eleven years old. For Jinchuurikis, it constantly twists in both directions, tight from the moment that the demon is sealed. **

The beast drew diagrams of the differing chakra systems on the wall with a claw. Naruto whistled at the shear complexity of the Jinhuuriki's system.

"**One day it will be twisted to the right, then the next it will be twisted to the left, and so on so forth. This is so that the system can try to create a series of pathways that can best handle Demon Chakra flow. With me so far?**"

"Uh, yeah. Basically I'm a freak."

"**I knew you'd understand. Now, the system will stop twisting in alternate directions when you hit eleven. This is what we demon's call 'Settling down'. Your coils will have found the best possible way to handle my chakra."**

"Oh, that's neat!" Naruto spoke excitedly, "So I'll be able to use your chakra?!"

"…**Yes,"** the Kyuubi sweat dropped, "**I thought that was obvious."**

Naruto stuck his tongue out, and Kyuubi glared at him before continuing.

"**Another characteristics that Jinchuurikis do not share with humans is that their chakra systems are far more coiled than normal. As the coils twist more and more, some of the present demon chakra gets secreted outside of the tubes and converted into the solid substance called "Onimoxcicillin". The coils, wrapped around this substance creates an electrochakretic effect that allows all Jinhuuriki to use a small level of telekinesis.**"

"That sounds like that home electrochakret that I made at home with the nail, wire, and chakra-battery!"

"**That's basically what it is.**"

"AWESOME!"

"**Well, I think that's enough for today.**"

"NO, I WANNA LEARN MO-"

Naruto was interrupted by a tail flying out of nowhere and knocking him out. Kyuubi sat there awkwardly and stared at the unconscious boy.

"**Damn. I thought he'd disappear.**"

"…Bunnies…smelly….red….mean," the blond mumbled.

"**Uh, shut up,**" Kyuubi muttered, prodding the boy.

"Weird…head…"

"**SCREEEEEEEW YOOOOOU NARUTO!**"

The sound of a body being thrown harshly into the hallway echoed through the sewer. The Kyuubi could have sworn he'd seen a smile tug at the blond's lips, but it was gone as quickly as it came.

_But most important of all, he felt loved._

* * *

AN:I know this one didn't have as much humor in it as the last one, but I'm trying to actually make it a story that can go somewhere. in order to do that, I gotta get the boring stuff outta the way. Toodles!

Next Chapter:

_Naruto dons the mask of a complete moron in hopes of fooling the children of the academy, but who won't be fooled? Next time, on Rabbit-Fox's Apprentice!_


	4. The Discovery of the Undiscovered

Bonjour! Welcome to the 4th chapter of the Rabbit-Fox's Apprentice. I've gotten a grand total of 7 reviews (Gasp! That's seven more than I thought I would get!) and I'm feeling great! This chapter, Naruto goes to Ninjacademy for the first time. Hang on to your swivel-chair adjuster as we journey into…Hell.

Summary: =__=; Really? You clicked on this story without reading the summary?

Pairings: Narutox? SasukexChouji (NO NOT REALLY! Sasuke deserves much worse of a punishment…)

Disclaimer: I don't own squat. Just ask my mother. ;(

* * *

_**The Discovery of the Undiscovered**_

"**GET UP!**"

"NANI?!"

A frightened blonde flew from his bed and slammed headfirst into the floor. Groaning and rubbing his head, he checked his alarm clock and cursed. It was 10 minutes before he was supposed to be at the NinjAcademy. He inwardly thanked Kyuubi for the wake-up call and dashed through his morning routine. He opened his dresser and eyed his 'Super-Ruto' costume warily.

"No way in hell," he muttered, his eye twitching as he heard the imaginary laughter of his classmates.

He swiped a black shirt and blue jeans out of his dresser, donning some white socks and black sneakers. He then ran out the door, pulling his arms through a black hooded zip-up jacket on the way out. Leaving it unzipped and pulling the hood over his bright hair, he ran through the streets of Konoha as fast as he could. He couldn't afford to be detained by the populace today. He slowed as he saw the school approaching. He sighed and stuck a hand in his worn pocket.

"I need to get some new clothes."

"**Actually, I think you look quite dashing.**"

"I can't do ninja-ish things in these jeans though…"

"**Fine, but I like the jacket. Keep that.**"

"I can deal with that."

He stopped the conversation as he walked into the school, checking his school schedule that he got in the mail.

"Mizuki…Classroom One...assisted by Umino Iruka. Ok, here it is," he muttered as he arrived at a sliding door.

He pulled the door open and was assaulted by the noise of his classmates. He walked in and, spotting an empty seat, trotted over to it before anyone else could take it. After he was settled, he took a look around.

The first one to catch his eye was a black haired boy that was passed out on a desk. His hair was styled in a pineapple-cut, and his face was hidden in his arms.

The second was the boy sitting next to him, a chubby boy wearing blue underwear on his head and a scarf around his neck. There were red swirls adorning his cheeks, and a seemingly endless stream of chips was being thrown into his mouth.

The third was the boy to his left. The boy had hair like…Naruto couldn't place it. He tried to see his face but the boy had his head in his arms like one of his other classmates. Naruto tried to think of a way to shake him awake without being rude, but was interrupted by two men walking into the room. One had short silver hair with a sort of bandana over his forehead, while the other one had brown hair in the pineapple cut. Naruto glanced at the passed out boy across the classroom and wondered vaguely if the two were related.

"Welcome boys and girls," the white haired one said, waving at the students, "to your first year at the academy!"

A chorus of cheers filled the room and the man smiled.

"I am your head instructor Mizuki, and this is my Assisting Instructor Iruka. Without any further ado, let's unlock your chakra!"

An even louder chorus of cheers filled the classroom, and Naruto blinked in surprise.

"Already?"

"**Yeah, they picked up their abruptness in training during the Ninja Wars I believe.**"

"_What do you mean?_"

"**Well, so many Ninjas were dying that they needed to train the genins extremely quickly to pick up the slack and get more Ninjas out on the front line.**"

"_Oh._"

"Everyone form a single file line and follow me outside."

The was a rush as the kids all stood to try to get a spot in the front of the line. Naruto took his time, waiting for the others to go, and was about to step into the aisle before he saw that the boy to his left hadn't moved. He walked back and prodded the boy on the shoulder, supporting a huge fake smile.

"Hey spiky, we need to go outside. We're unlocking our chakras."

The boy lifted his head slightly, allowing one onyx eye to stare into Naruto's.

"I already have. See you when you get back," he spoke in a uniform tone, not displaying emotion.

"Uh…ok."

"**What crawled up his ass and died?**" the Kyuubi asked, squinting at the boy through Naruto's eyes.

"I dunno," the blonde responded before mentally slapping himself.

"Who are you talking to?" the black haired kid spoke, his eyebrow forming a questioning curve.

"Uh, noone, heh heh," Naruto coughed out, then held out a hand, "My name is Uzumaki Naruto."

The spiky haired child looked into his eyes and removed and hand out from under his head.

"Uchiha Sasuke."

* * *

"I'll call you in order by last name!" Iruka shouted, holding a clipboard while Mizuki watched the students, "Aburame, Shino!"

Naruto looked away while 'sunglasses' worked with Iruka to unlock his chakra.

"_Hey Kyuubi,_" Naruto thought, "_How come Sasuke already unlocked his chakra? I thought you had to wait until you were 11?_"

"**That boy is a part of a clan, I'm guessing. He seems to have a very familiar aura…**"

"_So_?"

"**Kids in a clan I think are more pressured to unlock their chakras earlier so that their bloodlines can adjust to their systems before they settle.**"

"_Oh, like the Byakugan?_"

"**Yeah. Now look at your manual thing and leave me alone.**"

Naruto sighed and looked at the 'How to Unlock Your Chakra' pamphlet. It seemed pretty simple, and even if you couldn't do it alone, apparently it was extremely easy for trained professionals to unlock your chakra for you. He skimmed the rest of the text, then sighed and placed the paper down. He then watched as 'Hyuuga, Hinata' showed Iruka her already unlocked chakra.

"So…Uzumaki. I decided to join the class."

Naruto started as Sasuke plopped down on the grass next to him.

"Ok…"

"Are you a relative of the Yamanaka?" Sasuke asked abruptly, staring him down.

"Uh, I don't think so," Naruto answered with his fake grin, "I'm an orphan and I don't know anything about my heritage."

"I am an orphan as well."

"I guess it's not so bad. I never knew my family so I'm used to it."

"Mine was murdered. Want some pocky?"

Naruto blinked.

"I'm sorry, I didn't quite catch that."

"Want some pocky? I have vanilla, strawberry, orange, and watermelon."

"Uh…no thanks."

"Take the pocky," Sasuke stated, holding out a stick.

"I'm not really h-"

"**Take it.**" Sasuke spoke with a dark look in his eyes.

Naruto blinked again before reluctantly taking the pretzel. Sasuke's face returned to his impassive nature and he stared out at the other students.

"_Is he…mentally insane?_" Naruto questioned as he watched Sasuke crunch away on multiple sticks at once.

"**Insane? I think the term would be pocky-devoted.**"

"_He just said that his family was murdered, then asked me if I wanted his candy, all in in the same sentence._"

"**Hey, pocky is not just candy, it's love!**"

"…_Nevermind Kyuubi._"

"Uchiha, Sasuke!"

"Looks like I'm up." Sasuke muttered, standing up. He walked over to Iruka and made a hand sign. Chakra flared from his body, and Iruka nodded. He stuck his hands in his pockets and strode back into the classroom.

"SASUKE-SAMA THAT WAS SO COOL!" The girls all screamed, stars in their eyes.

"That looked so easy, his clan must have made him unlock his chakra really early for his clan jutsu," Naruto mused, then stared at his own hands, "I wonder if I have a bloodline?"

"Don't count on it."

The blonde started once again and looked up at a blonde girl standing near him.

"What?"

"I said don't count on it," the girl repeated bossily, raising an eyebrow at him, "bloodlines are extremely rare. The only reason there's so many in Konoha is because the 1st Hokage brought the bloodline clans together to stop their inter-clan fighting."

Naruto continued to stare at the girl, he took a seat next to him.

"I've seen you around," she said, looking into his eyes.

"Really?"

"Yeah. Everyone hates you."

Naruto gave her a large toothy smile and rubbed his head sheepishly. Inside, however, he hurt tremendously.

"_Great. One day here and I've already lost a potential friend._"

"Don't do that."

Naruto's eyes shot open in surprise. Ino stared at him with a curious expression.

"W-What?"

"I can tell when people are lying. You can't hide anything from me, so don't bother."

"**O**_h_** s**_h_**i**_t_**.**"

"Why are you trying to act dumb?"

"I…I-"

"Uzumaki, Naruto!"

"Gotta go!"

"Wait!"

Naruto raced over to Iruka, thankful to get away from the other blonde. Iruka gave him a wary stare and motioned to him with a nod to continue. Naruto thought back to the pamphlet and put his fingers together in the Tora seal. Closing his eyes, he focused deeply into the darkness, looking for the 'speck of light' described in the paper.

* * *

Nightfall broke over the academy. The wind gently blew leaves across the green grass, creating a whispering sound that could be heard all around.

The sound of crunching grass and leaves was heard as Mizuki tramped out to he middle of the training field. Two forms met his eyes. One was panting on the ground, and the other was seated in a chair with a serious look on his face.

"Iruka. He hasn't unlocked it yet?"

The figure in the chair glanced at Mizuki before returning his eyes to the form on the ground.

"Oh he's unlocked it…but…I've never seen anything like it before," Iruka murmured.

"How so?" Mizuki queried.

"It's flowing similarly to blood…and…it's like he has no tenketsus."

Mizuki's eyes narrowed.

"Do you think it's the Unmentionable's doing?"

"Most likely," Iruka answered seriously, "and now the only jutsu he can use are ones that act on the chakra system."

Mizuki took a seat on the grass next to Iruka's chair.

"No tenketsus eh? The Hyuugas are going to be calling for his execution."

"No kidding."

The wind blew again, shaking the bangs of the blonde in front of them.

"Have you told him about it?" Mizuki asked.

"Yes, and he's been oblivious to his surroundings for the last ten minutes," Iruka responded, "I think it's just shock."

Mizuki nodded and joined Iruka in silence while they waited for Naruto to return to the land of the living.

* * *

_**Mindscape...**_

* * *

"HEY RABBIT-TEME!" Naruto shouted angrily.

"**What freak?**"

"Why doesn't my chakra system work?"

"**What are you talking about?**" the Kyuubi yawned.

"Iruka-Sensei just told me that I don't have any tenketsus and that my chakra flow is different."

"…**SHIT!**"

Kyuubi turned to one wall behind the cage and thumped it with a paw. A glowing diagram of a chakra system, presumably Naruto's, appeared on the wall and the Kyuubi examined it closely.

"**Uh,**" the Kyuubi stuttered sheepishly, "**Heh heh…my bad?**"

Naruto's eye twitched.

"WHAT DID YOU DO YOU FAT HAIRY GIANT RABBIT?!"

"**WHAT'S WITH THE INSULTS?!**"

"YOU SCREWED UP MY BODY! THAT'S WHAT!"

"**HEY IT COULD BE WORSE!**"

"HOW COULD IT POSSIBLY BE W-"

"**I could've accidentally made you into a transvestite.**"

Naruto blinked a couple times.

"Point proven."

"**Uh, when you were younger I gave you all of my healing abilities…and it looks like your body got rid of your tenketsus so that the healing ability could do it's job effectively on a human.**"

"Excuse me, did you say healing abilities?" Naruto's eyes lit up.

"**Uh…yes…why?**"

"How far does this healing go," Naruto asked with a feigned detached attitude, "For theoretical purposes of course."

"**Uh…you could grow the entire lower portion of your body back if you to ever be cut in half.**"

Naruto grinned.

"I'm gonna piss a lot of my opponents off."

"**I KNOW! Just make sure your heart or brain doesn't get destroyed. Otherwise you're fine.**"

"Thanks rodent!"

"**GAH!!**"

"Oh wait!"

"**What freak?!"**

"What about my chakra flow? Iruka-sensei said it was really thick like molasses, but that it moved as fast as regular chakra."

"**That's just so that you can exert pressure on you chakra coils to tighten around the Onimoxcicillin better. The tighter the chakra coils around the Onimoxcicillin, the stronger the chakretic field around you.**"

"Ok."

"**Now beat it.**"

* * *

_**Real World...**_

* * *

"Iruka-sensei, Mizuki-sensei."

The two intructor's looked up to see Naruto out of his mini-coma. They prepared for the sobbing…

"THIS WON'T HOLD ME DOWN! WAHAHAHAHAHA!"

The blonde stood in a dramatic pose, pointing a finger in the sky. The two men sweat dropped as he continued his boisterous laughter.

"WOOH!"

The blonde sprinted from the field and left two instructors more confused than ever.

--

That's the end of chapter 4 of RFA! Like where the story is going? No? REVIEW!

So far:

Naruto has known Kyuubi since the blonde was three years old. He used a chakretic field briefly before another twist of his changing chakra coils silenced the ability for periods of time, allowing it to return for a day and make it gone the next. Naruto is unaware that he has used this ability before.

He just joined the academy at 10 years old. I know some fan fictions place the children into the academy at like 6, but I thought that during the wars they would see training six year olds as a waste of money when you could put more into the training of older kids so that they could be sent into the battlefield faster. Naruto is the only one that has seen Sasuke's unstable personality, as when Sasuke is around others he has the cool, reserved attitude that the girls love.

Next time on Rabbit-Fox's Apprentice:

"_**With this ability, you have to show restrai- OH MY GOD DID YOU JUST THROW THAT MAN INTO THE SIDE OF A BUILDING?!!**__"_


	5. The Field of Papayas

Aye, I'm baaaaack! Welcome to yet another (sigh) chapter of RFA! 12 reviews?! HELL YEAH! School's almos' out and, well, it's painful when everyday feels like a Friday. =__= You know what I mean.

To MoleBase and EterGuy: I dunno when I'm gonna post things. I just kinda…wing it? I'll feel like writing something and I'll finish the next chapter in one sitting.

Summary: Blah Blah Kyuubi's apprentice.

Pairings: OrochimaruxSarutobixKonohamaru ( HOLY CRAP! Not.)

Disclaimer: I might as well be Masashi Kishimotaaaaa. I don't own this.

* * *

Chapter 5

The door slammed as Naruto reentered his apartment. He slid into the kitchen with a wide grin on his face.

"Hey rodent?"

"**What you little imbecile?**"

Naruto smirked as he grabbed a cup of instant ramen.

"I was wondering," he spoke while filling the cup with water, "how am I going to fight if I can't use jutsu?"

"**Wrong, you can still use jutsu, even if they just the self-enhancing ones,**" the Kyuubi reminded, "**But I figure that your fighting style will be complementing your Chakretic Field.**"

"Mmm," the blonde hummed in thought while punching numbers into the microwave, "How do I use that anyway? You've been talking about it for a while but you've never actually explained how to do it."

"**Well,**" the Kyuubi sighed, "**I figured I wouldn't have to seeing as you've already used it.**"

"What?!"

The whiskered teen was shocked; he could use this power all along?!

"When?!"

"**Random times ever since you were three.**"

"But-but- I don't even know _how _to use it!"

"**I guess it's instinctual then.**"

"_Guess?!_"

"**Well unlike the other Bijuu I've only been trapped once, and seeing as my first time is in you I can find it logical that I wouldn't know what effect I have on humans. Besides fear, of course.**"

"Yeah, sure at first. Then they would find out that you were just a fat, hairy, discolored rodent that hasn't taken a bath in 10 years and they would kick your ass."

"…**Damn you kid.**"

The blonde smiled victoriously as he removed his ramen from the microwave and sat down at the table.

"So when do we start with the training?"

"**Now.**"

The blonde stared at his ramen incredulously, imagining it to have Kyuubi's face staring out of the reflection.

"You wanna run that by me again?"

"**We start now,**" the Kyuubi repeated smugly, "**so get the feeling of your chakra.**"

The blonde inhaled his ramen quickly and went into his bedroom. He sat criss-crossed on the bed and closed his eyes.

"Got it Fuzzy McFatAss!"

"**Now point your hand at that lamp on the table there,**" Kyuubi instructed, **"and run chakra through that arm.**"

The blonde did what he was told, and remained waiting for instructions.

"**NOW TENSE YOUR ARM AS HARD AS YOU CAN!**"

The demon's outburst took Naruto by surprise and he tensed immediately. The lamp shot from its place on the bedside table and shattered as it slammed into the blonde's face. Blood ran down his whiskered cheeks and forehead.

"SWEET MOSES!" Naruto screamed in horror, "MY FACE! MY BEAUTIFUL FACE!"

The blonde ran into the bathroom and saw that his skin was healing extremely rapidly. The lacerations closed up almost instantaneously, pushing some ceramic shards out of his face. He hissed as stinging sensations ran over the skin that was being healed.

"**KYUUBI- 2 NARUTO- 0**!!!!"

"Yeah, whatever fuzzy. I think it hurt more healing than the injury did."

The Kyuubi remained silent for several minutes, presumably in thought. The blonde just watched as his skin repaired itself.

"Kid, come into the mindscape."

Naruto looked confused, but shrugged and grabbed an empty bottle from the side of his bed. A second later he lay in a pile of broken glass with swirls dancing in his eyes.

-Mindscape-

Naruto's feet splashing the water signified the blonde's entrance into his mindscape. He looked around , trying to remember where he was. Turning, he saw the giant doors and walked through. Immediately two tails shot out and wrapped around him.

"W-What?! KYUUBI!" Naruto shouted angrily.

"**There's one thing I forgot to mention. Having the healing ability has two drawbacks. One, it drains your chakra and in some cases, mine. But seeing as you aren't wasting any chakra on jutsu or the chakretic field that's not a problem.** **The chakretic effect doesn't expel your chakra for its function, so no chakra is lost whenever you use it. No, the thing that I'm worried about is the second drawback, which is the pain involved in healing and overall injuries you receive. We need to improve your pain tolerance.**"

"My…pain tolerance?"

"**Yeah. I know that you've been beaten and stabbed and have bit through those pains mostly,**" the Kyuubi recounted, "**But what would happen if, say, you got both your arms cut off? Hmm?** **Do you think you'd be able to ignore the pain then?**"

Naruto's eyes dulled as he remembered how much hurt came from his beatings, and how he grew accustomed to the pain over time.

"**I could sit here and ask to cut off your arms and legs repeatedly to let you get used to the pain, but I think the best, if not most painful, way to do this is to overload your pain database in your brain so that it fries and you won't be able to feel physical pain ever again.**"

"I won't…be able to feel pain?"

"**Yes. I'm asking you because there will be some psychological damage involved if you go through with this. You'll start to feel…detached from your body.**"

"Detached?"

"**Let's just leave it at that.**"

"Okay…do it."

"**Not yet kid. When is your team assignment meeting?**"

"Uh, in a month?"

"**We'll do it at that time then. But for the time being, we need to work on your control.**"

"Hai, Foxy-Sensei."

With that, Naruto gave a wide grin and disappeared from the mindscape. A frustrated Kyuubi glared daggers at the spot where the blonde vanished.

"**That doesn't sound any better than Bunny-Sensei!**"

---

Following Day…

---

Naruto weaved through the pedestrians on his way to the market. Kyuubi had suggested (quite evilly) that he should come to this place, but the blonde had no idea what he was suggesting.

"'_Kay, Hairy-Sama I'm here._"

Naruto glanced around at all the yelling shopkeepers and the fruit stand attendants. Everything here seemed such a far cry from the slum life. In the slums you scavenged up what little money you had, then got some low-grade rice from the small run-down convenience store. Here there were a lot of clinking pockets and huge bags of food. It made the whiskered teen sick to his stomach thinking how the nicest people in Konoha were also the least fed.

"**Okay kit, see that trashcan?**"

"_Uh, the one with the flies having an orgy on it?_"

"**That's the one.** **Get inside of it.**"

"…_Run that by me again_?"

"**Oh, it's really quite simple. You take the lid off, then lift one leg and step into-"**

"_HELL NO_!"

"**Do it or I won't teach you.**"

Naruto weighed his options. He eyed the smelly trashcan and sweatdropped as he saw a disgruntled man exit his bright green house and drop a soiled diaper into it. The man returned into the lime colored house muttering obscenities under his breath and Naruto cried internally.

"_Ah hell, let's get this over with before he decides to drop another one in there._"

"**That's the spirit!**"

Naruto lifted the trashcan lid and was immediately grateful that the only thing in it was the diaper. He pulled the soiled item out and placed it on the ground next to the can. He slowly pulled his small body into the trashcan, fumes enveloping him as he did so. He gagged and had to pinch his nose to keep from throwing up.

"**Now put the lid at an angle so that you can see out but no one will see you.**"

"_They better not see me, or there will be Hell to pay._"

"**Sorry, already loaned it to someone.**"

Naruto sweat dropped.

"_You…loaned Hell?_"

"**Well, technically I rented it out.**"

"_How the Hell do_ _you own Hell?!_

"**If you must know, leader loaned it to me. Now that I think about it, I'm lucky I'm hidden in you…**"

"_Lucky? Why?_"

"**Well if he finds out that I rented out Hell and was taking the cash for myself, he'd kick my ass. Coupled with the fact that I dated his mother for a while…you get the picture.**"

"…_Holy Hell don't ever tell me about your personal life ever again._"

"**OK.**"

"_What do you want me in here for anyways?_"

"**We're gonna work on your chakretic field control, and have some fun in the process.**"

Naruto tried to determine what the Kyuubi meant.

_Hmm…add up the facts. I'm hidden, there's a bunch of food around, I can throw things with my body, and there's basically moving targets for me to hit. Wonder where this is going._

"**Kit, pick up that fruit with your finger.**"

Putting a quip aside about how strange that request sounded, Naruto aimed his finger at a fallen fruit next to a cart some 40 feet away, making sure to keep the appendage out of view of the civilians.

"**Concentrate.**"

"_Got it Sensei._"

Naruto tensed his arm a little, and winced when a man walking next to the fruit tripped over an unseen force and slammed his head into the fruit stand.

"…_Uh, that wasn't me?_"

"**I think it's obvious that you suck at aiming, brat.**"

Naruto sheepishly chuckled and reset his sights onto the fruit. He shut an eye in order to get a better aim, and tensed his arm harder.

---

In the market…

---

Yukiteru Fozzy was a modest man. His parents were on seven jugs of sake when they conceived him, they were still on seven jugs of sake when his mother gave birth to him, and they were still swigging away seven jugs of sake when they named him. He was obscenely rich due to inheriting money from his wealthy grandfather, but he still liked the simple life. He was a hard worker and enjoyed the toils of labor. So, like any other bloke of his nature, he went into the marketing business.

He bought a fruit stand with some pocket change (For him, anyway) and was off to the market.

He set up the fruit stand in front of a bright green house in the market district.

A year later, the city placed a trashcan forty feet from his stand.

Oh joy.

"Hello there people of Konoha!" he shouted joyfully, barely drawing any attention in the noisy bustle, "How many of you would like buy some papayas?!"

No one answered.

"Come on! They're good for you!"

Seeing no one was interested, he decided to step it up.

"Come on, they can be made into jelly!"

Sweatdropping as he saw the lack of interest, he tried a last ditch effort.

"It'll help you crap easier!"

---

Hyuuga Manor

---

Hiashi paused in his walking and placed a hand to his head.

"Hiashi-Sama?"

He turned to his concerned bodyguard. Not receiving an answer, the boy tried again.

"Hiashi-sama are you okay?"

"I…just had a feeling that someone found a cure for the Hyuuga's genetic defect…"

"Genetic defect? Ah, you mean the blind spot?!"

Hiashi turned to the bodyguard with a screwed up face and grumpy look in his eyes.

"No. The constipation."

---

Back to the Market

---

"C'mon! DOESN'T ANYBODY WANT SOME PAW-PAW?!"

"I do."

Fozzy turned to see a man in a face mask lazily approach the stand. He was reading a bright orange book and giggling to himself softly.

"Oh yes! My best customer! Kakashi-san!"

"Ma! You don't have to be so formal," Kakashi waved his hand, "Just hit me with the papayas."

"Here we are, I've been saving the best for you!"

Fozzy passed him one, allowing the cycloptic jounin to examine it.

"Hmm, Fozzy-san, this isn't a bad one like last time is it?"

Fozzy started sweating as he remembered the catastrophe of accidentally selling Kakashi a papaya with worms inside of it.

"N-No sir! It's perfectly safe!"

"Hmm, you sure? It made my constipation even worse last time."

"Why yes! I take a pride in having safe foods!" Fozzy puffed out his chest, "IF THEY AREN'T SAFE THEN MY NAME ISN'T-"

The papaya in Kakashi's hand detonated, sending flying chunks of fruit into the Jounin's face and chest. There was the sound of echoing laughter nearby that was quickly snuffed out and the Jounin blinked his single eye.

"Fozzy…Akiteru…."

The jounin continued to stare at his hand.

"Well, that didn't seem very safe."

---

Trashcan Land

---

"**NICE SHOT!**"

"_AHAHAHA! Nothing can stop me now!_"

"**You learn fast, I must admit, but remember that with this ability, you have to show restrai- OH MY GOD DID YOU JUST THROW THAT MAN INTO THE SIDE OF A BUILDING?!!**"

"_HELL YEAH!_"

"**STOP IT!**"

"_Stop what?_"

"**GRINDING HIM UP AND DOWN THE WALL!**"

"_I'm trying to get the fruit off of him,_" Naruto grinned evilly, "_I'm doing him a favor._"

"**THAT'S A JOUNIN YOU MORO-**"

The lid of the trashcan was pulled aside for a moment and a smelly diaper was thrown into Naruto's face.

"Damn brat is crapping every 5 minutes, I swear," the disgruntled man muttered as he closed the trashcan lid, oblivious of the boy inside of the receptacle.

"**AHAHAHA KARMA!**"

"It was worth it," the blonde muttered as he slid the diaper off his face.

The man's voice was heard outside of the trashcan again.

"What's this doing on the ground? Huh, must've missed."

The lid was pulled aside again and another diaper collided with Naruto's face, this time emitting a sickening squelching sound.

"**WAHAHAHAHAHAHA! THE DIAPER WASN'T CLOSED WAS IT?!**"

"_No. No it was not."_

---

Kakashi's apartment

---

Hatake was having a weird day. First a papaya blew up in his face, then he's thrown into a wall and grinded across it like some sick replacement of a whiteboard eraser. He winced and cried internally as he touched his tender patch of skin that was uncovered.

"When I find out who did that I'll kill them."

Pakkun lifted his head lazily from his place on Kakashi's bed.

"And while you're at it, ask them for reading lessons."

Kakashi sent the dog a hurt look and sat down at his table where an open orange book lay.

"Alright let's do this! What letter is this…hmm…S! It's an S! Now…ah! Don't get angry, just sound it out. Suh, no, shuh, sheh, she! She! She moe- mone- moaned! She moaned! Oooh, kinky!"

The silver haired man giggled and the dog shook his head sadly before returning to sleep.

* * *

**Masashi Kishimoto: So let me get this straight. Kakashi is chronically late, but is also chronically constipated, and cannot read to save his life?**

**Me: Yep!**

**Masashi: …I should be writing this down…**

I'm going to be bashing EVERYONE! And I mean ABSOLUTELY EVERYONE! HINATA IS NOT SAFE! SARUTOBI IS NOT SAFE! YONDAIME IS NOT SAFE! THAT CREEPY GUY BEHIND YOU IS NOT SAFE!

…bet you looked.

Next time:

_The Slums Arc. _

"_**Lead them, Apprentice.**_"


	6. SAPa1: Just Not My Type

Hey you guys! Thanks for the reviews! I'll keep the intro for this chap short.

I'll introduce some OC's in this but when I hit the manga canon I'll mostly use Masashi's characters.

LAST CHAPTER WHEN NARUTO SPOKE OF "TEAM ASSIGNMENT MEETING" IT'S NOT THE SAME AS THE GENIN TEAM MEETING!! Sorry if that confused you!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, nor any of its affiliated copyrights. Now f*** off.

* * *

Chapter 6: The Slum Arc (SA) Part One (Pa1): Just Not My Type

Naruto kicked up dust as he ran down the street, his wide grin seeming to brighten the slums a little. A couple of the homeless smiled and waved at him as he passed. He grinned and gestured back, still keeping up his pace.

The slums. Not a bad place once one has lived there a while. There was a misconception that this 'bad side of town' was a dangerous, dark, disturbing place. However, after running though the slums everyday, Naruto couldn't disagree more. Here everyone was truthful to each other, for the truth was the only thing they had left to give. There were no hidden agendas, for there was nothing of value. There were no muggers or thieves for the same reason. Here people were not bothered by the trivialities of life and could live more peacefully.

"Hey Naruto!"

The teen slid to a stop and turned to see a bald old man waving at him. The blonde jogged over to the wrinkled man with a huge grin.

"Hey Cue-Ball!"

"Brat, I'm sensitive about my hair," the bald man smirked and rubbed the blonde's hair affectionately, "Learn respect for your elders!"

"Never," Naruto returned cheekily, "otherwise you wouldn't have any fun in your old age!"

The old man frown but had an amused twinkle in his eyes. He turned and walked into a store, motioning for Naruto to follow him. The whiskered child quickly complied and entered the dimly lit entrance.

A wind from the west blew through the street and the sign labeled 'Mano's Antiquities' swayed dangerously.

The wind continued on, carrying many pieces of decaying trash with it and crashing them into buildings. An empty container of cup ramen was picked up on the side of the gust and blown into the air. It swirled around, picking up speed and rising above the dirty slum buildings. Amidst the tumult, the cup collided with a piece of debris was slammed into the side of an abandoned warehouse. It dropped to the ground a moment, landing next to a lone feather and a sakura petal. The petal and the feather swayed and were blown away, leaving the cup once again alone.

---

Mano's Antiquities

---

The boy glanced around, taking in all the objects on shelves around him. Dust was settled on almost everything, giving the feel that nothing had been touched in ages. It was a store of random antiquities, all featuring a rather tarnished and ancient finish. On the shelves to Naruto's right, there were many yoyo's stacked on top of each other. Further along down the shelves, there were several ancient globes showing the elemental countries with faded labels.

"Over here Naruto, come with me into my office."

The cerulean-eyed boy glanced over to see the old man disappearing behind the shelves into a small side room. He walked past the aisles, avoiding the huge piles of scrolls that were haphazardly piled on top of each other. He stepped into the dark closet-like space, letting his eyes adjust.

"Naruto, take a seat for a moment, I have something to give you."

"OK…" The blonde spoke confusedly, sitting on a small wooden chair in front of the desk.

"As you may know, I have many stories," the old man spoke while digging through his desk drawer, "Many of which I have already told you about."

"Yeah Mano! You have the most amazing stories! You're the best storyteller there ever was!" the blonde shouted enthusiastically.

The old man paused and turned to look at Naruto a moment. The emotions in his old eyes were undistinguishable. The whiskered child continued to smile at the old man, hoping to get the balding man to grin as well. The corner of the man's mouth twitched, evoking a hopeful thought from the blonde, but the man turned back to his desk and continued digging through his unorganized desk. His voice drifted to the boy's ears.

"Amazing stories they may be, but you have to remember that all those adventures have to be undertaken by someone," Mano sighed, " And that someone is getting tired and old."

"Mano…san?"

The old man apparently found what he was looking for and turned to Naruto, who had a confused look on his face.

"Don't worry boy, I just wanted you to hold onto something for me," the bald geezer spoke softly.

The man held out a large binded book and Naruto slowly accepted it.

"What is it?" Naruto queried curiously, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion as to why he was being given the gift.

The old man sighed and said, "In my old age I'm becoming rather forgetful. I didn't want to lose any memory of my past, so I wrote all of my adventures down in there."

He tapped the blue fading book in Naruto's hands.

"Now, I don't want all that hard work to be lost among my junk here, so I'm lending it to you to keep it safe, alright?"

Naruto glanced up and nodded his head before fingering the pages.

"Can…Can I look through it?" The blonde asked abnormally timidly, cowed by the fact the book his hands was very important.

"Of course, my boy!" The old man grinned and rubbed the boy's head in a grandfatherly manner.

The blonde truly smiled and opened the book. His eyes slowly absorbed the flowing script and the numerous hand-drawn pictures that illustrated illustrious battles and faraway lands. He almost gasped at the realism of the drawings and felt as if he were there. He noticed some of the tales seemed familiar and remembered back to their many story nights together. His hands twitched and the blonde wiped a small tear away from his eye. The boy stood and looked up at the older man with tears in his blue eyes.

Naruto ran forward and hugged the old man around the stomach tightly, hiding his tears.

"Thank you, Grandpa."

The old man blinked as twin tears rolled down his own wrinkled cheeks. He smiled warmly and held the boy comfortingly.

"You're welcome, my son."

---

Slum Boundary Lines

---

"So this is where it was hidden, huh?"

A boot came down and crushed an empty cup of ramen. The owner of the boot was wearing standard Jounin pants and a large overcoat, both colored beige. The coat had a large collar that hid his mouth and nose. A pair of dark sunglasses over his eyes absorbed the afternoon light. His slightly spiky hair along with his attire designated him an Aburame. He was the one that had spoken, and was showing an unnatural impatience for one of the bug clan.

A second man approached from behind.

He wore Jounin pants and a trench coat, both colored midnight black and adorned with deep green stripes. Over his face he wore black face mask with the green kanji for 'Calamity' painted on. He had his hood pulled up and gloves over his hands, not revealing any skin or hair. A voice drifted from behind the mask in reply.

"Yeah. _He _stored _it_ here somewhere. The slums witnessed _his_ birth, but this is the last place anyone would to look for something as valuable as _it_."

"Hmph," the owner of the first voice scowled, "I still think it's a dumb place to hide _it_. And there's the Kyuubi to worry about. He may try to stop us from obtaining _it._"

The dark-clothed man kneeled and pulled a piece of broken Styrofoam from beneath the Aburame's boot. He seemed to examine the item without giving much thought to the man's question.

"Let me worry about the Kyuubi," Calamity spoke, "He'll be easy to deal with."

The Aburame tilted his head in confusion. Calamity scrunched his fist, crushing the piece of the ramen container.

"Even the cleverest of foxes can be tricked with the right bait."

---

Naruto's Apartment

---

It was midnight by the time that Naruto had finished his after-academy training with Kyuubi. They had continued working on sending concentrated bursts of Chakretic field to disrupt another object's Chakretic field. Of course, the concept had to be dumbed down just a bit for the blonde, but he understood in the end. The door slammed behind Naruto as he continued into his bedroom.

"So that's what happened when the fruit exploded?**"**

"**Yes. Everything on the planet produces a Chakretic field, even the dead to a very small percent. The field pushes on the outside of the subject and counteracts the pressures exerted from within the body. The Papaya's weak Chakretic Field was disrupted by yours. The disruption weakened it, allowing the pressure inside to trump the outside pressure and make the fruit explode.**"

"Eh, Kyuubi. Why do you always use such complicated explanations?"

The demon sighed.

"**I'll get to the point then. Field equals happy. No field equals boom.**"

The blonde gulped and shivered.

"Boom? Like boom boom?"

The fox nodded.

"**Boom boom.**"

"HOLY SHIT!"

"**Now you see what a powerful weapon this is. Though it will be nigh impossible to make another human explode, for the pressure of their Chakretic Fields are massive in order to counter the huge amount of pressure made by all the molecules and processes in the human body. You'd have to disrupt it pretty badly.**"

"What about a rock? Could I explode a rock?"

"**Supposedly, since a rock isn't alive and doesn't exert that much pressure due to lack of liquids and such, it would be loads easier than a human. I would suggest you take a couple steps back though.**"

"Yeah, no kidding."

Naruto shook his head in disbelief and sat on his bed, pulling a familiar blue book out from under his pillow. He gently ran his fingers over the cover, letting the rough texture send tickling sensations up his arm. With the flick of a hand the book was open, and the night was filled with the imaginary sounds of flying Katon Jutsu and battle cries. Naruto grinned and ran to his window in happiness.

"THANK YOU MANO-JIJI!!" he screamed into the night, grinning mischievously as he saw several lights turn on in the surrounding buildings. He quickly ran and flicked off the lights in his own room, diving under the bed with a flashlight and indulging himself in the adventures of a hero.

Across the street, a figure stood from its perch on a rooftop and leapt away. The only evidence of its existence was a whisper on the wind.

"Mano…"

---

Morning

---

Naruto woke and smiled. He had spent all night reading Mano's stories, and reveled in the memories that were now his. He learned about brave warriors who charged into battle and tore apart the enemy lines, winning the glory deserved by them. He imagined himself in the middle of a desperate battlefield, wielding two kunai and knocking bad-guys left and right as a golden sunrise illuminated his form.

Then his smile turned to a frown.

There was another type of soldier in Mano's stories, and that was the group codenamed 'Silent Nins'. He didn't know whether to honor them or spit in their groups faces. They were the assassins, the ones that could finish off a battalion without any noticing until the last minute. Naruto scrunched up his eyes. He would call these assassins cowards, but then again, he would also call them geniuses. They were strategists, and strategy beat brawn in any fight.

He rubbed his shoulder and decided to ask the Hokage about the 'Silent Nins' later. After performing his morning routines, he woke up Kyuubi and took off for the academy.

---

Academy

---

Yamanaka Ino wasn't one that liked to wait. Especially when it came to people she deemed as, 'uncool' or 'idiotic'. She thought Naruto was a lot of both. He was the dead last already even though they were only in the first week of school, and he was horribly loud. Though there was something about him that had Ino lying in wait for him at the academy.

Two days earlier at the 'Chakra Unlocking', she saw a smile that didn't belong there. It was hard to explain, and hard to describe how she noticed, but it was still there. She bit her thumb in thought. She held his smile akin to seeing a painting of a serious man. All except the man's mouth was badly erased and replaced with a poser's sketch of a smile.

She slapped herself when she realized that she was actually _using _her family's psychology practices. She had hoped to not start psych-analyzing people like her dad, but it looked like nature and nurture was taking its course. Sighing, she returned to the problem at hand.

It was confusing, but it meant one thing. Naruto was hiding something. And she _REALLY _wanted to know what that was. Therefore the gossip queen was waiting 'incognito' on a bench outside the academy, waiting for the other blonde to arrive.

A familiar form ran onto the academy plaza. Ino jumped up and prepared her 'super secret sneaky approach'.

"HEY NARUTO-BAKA!"

"NANI?!"

The whiskered blonde stumbled and tripped over a curb as Ino watched in amusement. The longe-haired blonde's smirk turned to astonishment as a piece of the curb shot up under the falling boy and stopped his fall. Naruto blinked and cursed aloud and the piece fell back into its place, cracked and misshapen.

"_KYUUBI I'M IN DEEP SHIT HERE!_" the blonde shouted internally as he saw the gossip queen racing over to him.

"**RUN PIG RUN!"**

"_GOTCHA!_"

Naruto flew by Ino's form and into the packed classroom before the girl could say anything.

He searched the class and saw Sasuke's hunched form. He gulped as he saw Ino racing down he hallway behind him and he raced for the steps to Sasuke's table. Reaching the black haired boy he pulled out pen and paper from the desk.

"Hey Sasuke, I need a favor," the blonde whispered quickly as he scrawled words on the paper.

"Pocky?"

"Not this time, Sasuke, I need you to-"

"POCKY."

"Okay, Pocky, as long as you do this for me," Naruto grunted as he slid the sheet over to Sasuke, "Say the quotation next to the number I cue you with, OK?"

Sasuke nodded.

"As long as Pocky is involved, everything's happy happy happy…" Sasuke drifted off in thought.

"Sasuke? Sasuke? WAKE UP MAN! I NEED Y-"

"NARUTO!!!!"

The whiskered boy flipped around and saw what looked like Satan with blonde hair and purple clothing fuming at him.

"I-Ino-chan!"

"What the hell was that outside?!"

"What was what?"

"YOU MADE THE CURB FLOAT!"

"No I didn't!"

"Yes you did!"

Naruto held a hand behind his back with the sign for "1" held up. Sasuke, woken from his daze by Ino's outburst, held up the sheet of paper and read the entry under "1" in a loud monotone.

"In an obnoxious tone while brooding. Naruto couldn't have done that, he is just a dobe with no talent at all. Return to brooding."

Sasuke put the paper down and put his hands together with his chin resting below them in a contemplative but dark gaze.

Ino squealed but checked herself when she saw Naruto nodding with him with an agreeing smile.

"That's me, just a dobe with no talent at all!"

Ino frowned when she saw Sasuke glance at something behind Naruto's back, then pick up a piece of paper and stare at it for a few seconds.

"Shut up, dobe-with-no-talent-at-all."

"Yes Sasuke-SAMA! See, Sasuke is the special one here, he can…uh…"

Naruto turned to Sasuke with a dumbstruck gaze.

"What the hell _can _you do?"

"CLASS SETTLE DOWN!"

Mizuki strode into the classroom, interrupting the confrontation between Ino and Naruto.

"Today we'll be learning about Nin Types, and which one suits you best. That way we can gear your course to something that fits you best. And before you start asking about Iruka," he glanced at the few raised hands, "He's out on a personal day today. Something about sick family members."

The children all nodded but were disappointed that their favorite teacher was not there.

"I'm going to lay out several piles of tests for the Nin Types you might be interested in. Naruto I have a special one for you here."

Sakura raised an eyebrow and raised her hand. At Mizuki's nod she asked, "Why does Naruto get a special one?"

"Well, due to…various circumstances, Naruto cannot use chakra for external jutsu, ruling out his ability to become most Nin Types. He can, however, still specialize in weapons and taijustu if he pleases."

Naruto glanced over at Ino's accusing glare and he nudged Sasuke, showing him three fingers under the table. Sasuke glanced at the sheet.

"Speak loudly. Naruto can't use jutsu? He is a dobe with no talent at all. Return to brooding."

Ino's eyes became slants.

"Now, now, Sasuke, Naruto has plenty of potential even with his…setbacks," Mizuki sighed, "Ending with that I'll let you grab some of the tests. Come up and make yourself welcome."

Naruto stood and walked with Sasuke down to the table. A quick scan of the test labels made him frown. He walked over to Mizuki, who was on the other side of the room organizing the papers on his desk.

"Hey sensei?"

"Yes Naruto?"

"Where's the Silent Nin test?"

Mizuki's face paled enough to match his hair.

"Silent Nin," Mizuki coughed, "Where did you hear that from?"

"Oh, nowhere, I was just wondering why it wasn't there."

"There's no such thing," Mizuki turned away from the blonde, hiding his face, "that's why."

"No…such thing?"

"No, now go fill out your test."

"Okay…sensei…"

Mizuki glanced at Naruto's back as the blonde retreated up the stairs slowly.

"I need to talk to the Hokage about this," the teacher murmured to himself and turned to help other students.

Naruto sat at his desk and sighed as Sasuke sat next to him with a pile of what looked like all the tests.

He read the questions on his paper and sweat dropped as he saw quickly-put together questions like 'Do you like sharp objects? A) Yes B) No C) Maybe'.

"_Man, at least I can use 'the Field'. I pity whoever really can't use chakra for anything._"

Somewhere in another classroom, Rock Lee sneezed.

A tearing sound brought him from his muses. He turned and stared at Sasuke who was tearing up a test and putting it aside before picking up the next one, scanning it, then ripping it as well.

"Uh, Sasuke?"

"Yes Pocky-Friend?"

"Why are you ripping up the tests?"

"None of these Nin Types exploit the marvelous uses of Pocky."

"Ah, I see."

"_Kyuubi, I think my best friend is a Pocky-Fetishist._"

"**Who isn't?**"

"….."

_---_

After School

_---_

The Hokage was busy. Beyond busy. The towers of paperwork were beginning to eat him alive and some had even grown eyes. Metaphorically, of course. Behind these paper behemoths a robed man rubbed his aging temples.

"Damn you for this Minato! If only I could change your Will…"

Sarutobi was by no means an idiot. He had realized the application of Kage Bunshin to paperwork before he was even appointed Hokage, but due to the decree laid down by the first Hokage, he was unable to use it to aid in his labor.

The decree was inlaid in a plaque and hung up on a wall across the room so that he could look up and remind himself not to make the simple cross sign.

'The people of Konoha and its clients deserve a personal touch, so no Kage Bunshin. And I mean YOU Sarutobi.'

However that almost changed when the fourth wrote his Will prior to sacrificing himself. The will stated that the fifth Hokage onward would be able to use Kage Bunshin for paperwork on the basis that Kage Bunshin are basically the user. The Sandaime could have made out with Minato's corpse, but then he heard that he was going to be reelected not as the Fifth, but as the Third once more. This meant he did not apply to Minato's Will and therefore had to go without Kage Bunshin.

Sarutobi cursed when a ninja shunshin'd into his office, sending papers flying everywhere.

"Hokage-Sama?"

"Yes Mizuki," the Hokage stood from his desk and greeted the ninja with a sigh, "How may I help you."

"I was just giving the Nin Type tests out, and a young Uzumaki asked me a curious question," Mizuki spoke cryptically.

"And what question is that," Sarutobi asked while he lit his pipe with a low level katon jutsu, "may I ask?"

"He asked why the test for the 'Silent Nin' wasn't there."

The Hokage dropped his pipe in surprise.

"Silent Nin? But that means…"

The Hokage snarled before racing into the hallway with a speed that Mizuki was surprised at. The silver haired ninja followed quickly.

"Where did he say he learned this from?" the Hokage asked over his shoulder while they raced down the hallway.

"He wouldn't say."

"…We must've missed something."

They arrived at the end of the hallway where a solitary door waited. The third made a hand sign and spoke, "Unseal Jutsu!"

A blue array of seals ran over the door and a clicking noise was heard. The Hokage pushed open the door and Mizuki raised an eyebrow at what he saw.

It was a totally blank room with only a solitary file cabinet on the back wall. They strode over to it, shutting the door behind them. The walls were soundproof, it seemed, for the noises of outside Konoha were extinguished as the door closed.

The Hokage cleared his throuat and spoke loudly.

"NARUTO UZUMAKI; SUBCOMMAND CONNECTIONS; SUBCOMMAND NINJA CURRENT AND PAST."

The file cabinet shook for a moment as if something was churning inside, then the latch clicked and the drawer slid out, revealing a couple of file folders. The Hokage grabbed them and put them under his arm before shutting the drawer and leaving the room. Mizuki followed him in confusion.

"Um, Hokage-sama, what was that?"

"That is where I put my most important scrolls and paperwork, including all of Naruto's files. These files should tell us whether there's any Ninjas that could be releasing Forbidden Information on a S-Rank Secret Group."

"How, sir?"

"You said that Naruto was told about the group codenamed 'Silent Nins'. If that is true, the only one that could have told him was a Ninja, one that he knows. And I have ANBU observing all the ninjas that he has had contacts with, so I'll be able to find who's breaking the law."

"Which law? I was just concerned that Naruto knew about such a secret group. My grandfather went on a mission with a 'Silent Nin' so that's how I know about them, but to have a child like him find out disturbed me."

They arrived back at the Hokage's office and the third laid down the files on his desk.

"There was a law placed down that no records of battles or ninjas were to be available to the public, for fear of leaking valuable information to other countries," the old man explained while flipping through the papers, "And it seems as though a Ninja that Naruto has met is leaking valuable information indeed."

The Hokage placed down the last file and frowned.

"It's truly a conundrum. We have all of these Ninjas on surveillance. There's no way that any of them could have leaked this to him. The only other person that Naruto frequently talks to is Usetetsu Mano…"

The Hokage's eyes widened and he pushed a button on his desk. An ANBU appeared in the room a moment later.

"Yes, Hokage-Sama?"

"Get me Morino Ibiki."

"Hai Hokage-Sama."

After the ninja had left, the Hokage sat in his desk with a contemplative look on his face. Mizuki just stood there, unsure of what to say or do. The silence in the room was unbearable.

"So," Mizuki spoke warily, "Beautiful day, right?"

The Hokage stared at him with a questioning smile before standing up as a large bear of a man walked into the office.

"You called, Hokage-Sama?"

"Yes Ibiki-San. You are in charge of the file of Mano Usetesu, correct?"

The man nodded, his scarred face not betraying any emotion.

"And his background check proved negative for Ninja alliances, correct?"

"He had some spotty areas in his history, but no, he never recieved Ninja training in this village nor any others."

"I need you to check again. If I am correct this may be the answer to this situation and so much more. Mizuki, help him."

"Hai, Hokage-Sama," the two answered and they both left.

The old man sat in his chair with deep thought.

"Personal experience with the Silent Nins…Mano Usetetsu…could you really be who we're looking for?"

* * *

And that's it for this chapter, sorry for it being so long!


	7. SAPa2: King

This is a fairly serious chapter. The funny train has run out of gas at the moment, and I'm not near enough to a fueling station to get the humor to you fast enough.

Buckle up while you ride the Locomotive of Serious…ness…

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any abilities from the Naruto manga or anime. All other abilities are mine, if you wish to use then fine, just credit me.

Summary: Read it yaself.

Pairings: GamakichixPakkunxSakura (wow. BAD THOUGHTS!)

* * *

The Slum Arc Part 2: King

A small bell rung softly as the door was pushed open. Several shadows were cast from the morning sun, but the black shapes blended into the dim light of the shop. Light footsteps treaded into the carpet, leading to a small door in the back of the room. A gloved hand pushed the door open, revealing an old man fast asleep at his desk. The withered senior stirred at the faint squeak of the floorboards and blearily looked up from his desk, only to start when he realized he was not alone.

"…Who are y-"

_SWISH._

---

Academy

---

Naruto shivered, looking up from his test. His features deepened into a frown, a confused look showing in his eyes. A foreboding feeling washed over ever bone in his young body, crashing against his optimistic nature.

"Something…isn't right," he murmured aloud, evoking a confused glance from the kids around him.

His eyes returned to his test on Ninja Laws. He frowned even deeper, flipping to the first page and rereading the first question.

'Explain why a Ninja should or should not follow their instincts according to Rule 0039.'

The blond turned to the notes they were allowed to make and use on the test, finding the section labeled '0039'.

'Ninja Law 0039 states that use of intuition and instinct are not viable in the action(s) or thought process(es) of a qualified Ninja. Instinct is an emotion not based on any form of logical fact or bodily sense, and therefore should be discarded as a hindrance to the completion of the mission(s) at hand. All right decisions are logical. As written by Madara Uchiha, representative of the Uchiha Family.'

The boy ran a hand through his wild hair, contemplating the words in front of him. He thought that Madara was both right and wrong; while logic was based off of fact and was obviously the way to go, instinct had an odd track record of being right most of the time, regardless of whether it was paranoia or true premonitions.

Naruto looked up from his desk to see Mizuki staring at him oddly. He ducked his head back into his test, not wanting to gain any more attention. He glanced once or twice over his paper and sighed in relief when he saw Mizuki had gone back to work.

"_Maybe I shouldn't talk out loud during a test, but this is really bothering me,_" Naruto thought to himself, and partially to Kyuubi.

"**Kid, it's wise to mind your instincts,**" Kyuubi responded, "**don't always follow them, but keep mind to them. Use them when the moment is right.**"

"_When will I know that the moment is right?_"

"**At the time when there is no other option.** **You'll know.**"

The blond nodded silently, but a nagging doubt still tugged at the back of his mind.

"Alright everyone, place down your pencils and follow me outside," Mizuki ordered, and a collection of groans and sighs erupted as tests were passed forward. Some of the kids, like Kiba, were quickly scribbling down last minute answers. Naruto checked his and saw that he had only left one question unanswered, he just put an X through the section and passed his test forward.

The single file line of ten to twelve year olds marched out of the building and into the Taijutsu yard, raising dust and creating lots of chatter in the morning air.

"Alright, since Iruka is still gone I will take his place as the proctor for our spars," Mizuki spoke, frowning at the mention of his assistant's absence.

The silver haired man pulled a checklist from his pocket, the yellow parchment unrolling to show the match order. All the kids scooted forward to try to get a look, and Naruto groaned when he saw that he had been matched with Kiba.

Sasuke was the best Taijutsu user in the class, but he was Naruto's friend. Kiba, however, had an ego and was sure to try and crush whoever he was facing so that he could boast his heart out. Naruto reminded himself to try and refrain from using his 'Field' against the loudmouth. It wouldn't do to have his secret released.

"Hey Naruto!" a rough, sneering voice shouted from across the group, "You ready to see who the alpha male is?"

The kids parted to reveal Kiba smirking at the blond. Naruto clenched his hands tightly.

"Such a little wimp won't be able to beat me," Kiba continued, "so I guess my only regret will be that I only got to show one jutsu!"

Most of the children gasped and started talking among themselves; knowing a jutsu at their level was amazing!

"Kiba, since you seem so talkative you can decide who goes first," Mizuki spoke with disdain at the childish arrogance.

"Me and shithead here will go. It won't take long anyway," Kiba smirked and walked into the ring.

Naruto gritted his teeth in embarrassment as the children around him all laughed. He stalked into the ring after Kiba, making sure to take off his black hooded jacket so that it wouldn't get dirty.

The ring was quickly surrounded by cheering students, and Mizuki walked between the two combatants. Naruto's mood grew fouler with every second as he stared into Kiba's arrogant face. His mind flashed him through scenes of him kicking the crap out of the Inuzuka, and he readied himself in determination. Kiba just stood there, not bothering to take a stance. Mizuki eyed the two warily before raising a hand up in the air.

"FIGHT!"

Mizuki jumped out of the way as an irate Naruto flew towards the dog-like boy with a fist raised. The Inuzuka smirked and went through some hand seals.

"**Hidden Claw Jutsu!**"

The fingernails on Kiba's hand lengthened to long points, and he quickly used them to gouge Naruto's face as he dodged the punch. Naruto grimaced as the deep cuts healed instantaneously, but turned to face Kiba who had danced out of reach.

"Do you like it?" the boy asked arrogantly, flexing his clawed fingers, "I learned it from my father."

Naruto scowled and shot forward with another punch, which Kiba dodged and scratched with his knife-like fingernails. The Inuzuka jumped backwards a few yards and continued his monologue.

"How does it feel," Kiba spoke smugly, "to not be able to use chakra little Naru? I would kill myself if I couldn't, the shame would be unbearable."

Naruto growled and plucked a kunai out of his leg holster. Kiba saw this and laughed.

"You should see how dumb you look right now, shithead," the Inuzuka insulted, smirking at the blond's angry face, "You aren't cut out to be a ninja."

The blond screamed and ran forward, intending to cut Kiba to pieces. Everyone winced when Kiba avoided the kunai slash and slammed his clawed fingers into Naruto's face and chest. The blond gritted down the pain but was caught by surprise when the dog-like child round kicked him in the side of the head. The whiskered boy flew back from the hit, hitting the ground rolling. Kiba began to laugh as Naruto slowly got up, his back to the bragging boy.

"Little Naru, you're such a pathetic loser," Kiba laughed aloud, "No wonder your parents abandoned you."

"RAAAAAGH!!!"

Naruto flipped onto his feet and shot at Kiba, tears streaming from his eyes. The dog-boy was taken aback, and thus was unable to block the jab at his face. The knuckles of Naruto's hand sank into Kiba's face, breaking the boy's nose. Holding his bloody nose, Kiba turned and landed a right hook on the blonde's temple, knocking the blonde out cold.

The whiskered adolescent hit the ground with a heavy thud, but none of the children cheered Kiba's victory. They all just stared at the prone form of the boy they thought they all knew.

---

Hokage's Office

---

"Hokage-Sama!"

Sarutobi looked up from his desk as Ibiki shunshin'd into the room. The man had a manic look on his face.

"Do you have news on Mano Usetetsu?"

"Indeed, Hokage-sama it seems your suspicions were correct," Ibiki shouted, "Mano is a Ninja from the Hidden Village of Rain!"

"Rain?!" The Hokage stood up and slammed his hands down on his desk, shaking the mountains of paperwork around him.

"Yes, sir! I visited his home village and asked around, and I was directed to a cabin in the middle of the woods. I broke in and found this," Ibiki threw down a tattered headband with the symbol for Rain carved into the metal, "and several letters confirming his affiliation with Amegakure!"

"I assume you already sent out a retrieval team?"

"That's the second thing, sir," Ibiki's eyes darkened, "We can't find him anywhere. His store is empty, no signs of struggle."

"And the homeless? Did they see him today?"

"No sir. They told us that he usually sleeps in his office."

The withered old man put his fingers together in front of his face, sighing darkly as he did so.

"Let me get this straight," the Hokage asked seriously, "We have a rain spy that may or may not be reporting back to Ame and Akatsuki about Naruto's status as a Demon Vessel. This ninja has been putting up the guise of a kind old man, befriending Naruto and fooling our best ANBU for 11 years. On top of that, he's had contact with silent nins. However, the day we find out all of this, the ninja vanishes into thin air or is kidnapped by person(s) unknown?"

Ibiki nodded. Sarutobi thought for a moment, then lowered his head.

"I never thought I'd ever have to do this…"

The interrogator looked on in confusion as Sarutobi pressed the intercom button on his desk and spoke clearly into the speaker. Ibiki's blood ran cold.

"Danzo to the Sandaime's office."

---

When Konohagakure was first built, a series of secret chambers were built in the Hokage Mountain as a surprise gift by the Namikaze clan to the 1st Hokage. These were constructed to harbor all the civilians of the leaf village in the case that the village was invaded. The chamber system was intended to be a safe haven, completely oxygen supplied and able to withstand attack. During its last day of construction, however, something went horribly wrong.

A massive explosion rocked the final chamber, caving in all of the Namikaze workers and crushing them to death. Their bloodcurdling screams echoed through the caverns repeatedly, as if mocking their deaths.

The rest of the village only felt a small shake.

The Hokage never found out about the caverns, but the secret stayed with the few Namikaze that remained after the cave in. Their numbers reduced dramatically, the Namikaze clan began to fail economically, sending their members into poverty and making the clan a ghost of what it once was. By the time the third Hokage took office, only three Namikaze remained. An elderly couple by the names of Haru and Hinata, and their secret thirty year-old son, who was kept in the Namikaze compound and away from the world in order to ensure the clan's survival. The thirty year-old eventually fathered Minato Namikaze, the Yondaime Hokage. Neither the father nor the son was told about the chambers.

Through the glamour of a Namikaze becoming Hokage, the chambers were mostly forgotten. However, one night the Namikaze vault was broken into by a radical faction leader, who took the Mountain Construction plans along with other valuable scrolls.

That thief returned to the mountain with his secret army and made the place his base of operations. Their mission: to protect Konoha from the shadows. The thief took control of the base immediately and ever since, he has run the secret organization known as ROOT.

Now that man is walking down a hallway of this base, his cycloptic gaze pointed ahead of him. He stopped at a door guarded by two emotionless Ninjas and they stepped aside, opening the door for him and allowing him to pass. Now standing in an interrogation room, he directed his stare at a shabby, sweaty, and beat-up man strapped to a chair in the center of the room, facing another empty chair. His one visible eye showed no pity for the old man panting in the seat. He strode forward and occupied the seat opposite the prisoner. The prisoner held his bald head up, revealing a wrinkled face.

"D-Danzo?!"

"Tell us, what did you send to Amegakure?"

"N-Nothing Danzo," Mano croaked, "I turned missing-nin to Rain a long time ago…"

"Such _lies_," Danzo hissed amusedly, as if enjoying the other man struggle.

"No! I'm telling the TRUTH!"

"Perhaps you think that I am dumb? A cripple, maybe?" Danzo suggested darkly.

"N-No, I-"

"How _rude_," Danzo smirked. "And I thought old men shared sympathy with each other. Shame."

The bandaged leader took a screw from his pocket, along with a chakretic screwdriver. Mano eyed the device warily.

"W-What-"

"You know," Danzo spoke over him, "It's the simplest things in life that you treasure."

He pushed a button on the screwdriver and the bit spun around at high speed. The prisoner's eyes widened. He started struggling in his bindings.

"Please, I'm not a Ninja anymore, I swear!"

"Too _late, _I'm afraid, far _too late_," Danzo whispered with amusement, advancing toward the prisoner with the whirring screwdriver. "I _will _get the answers I want, sooner or later…"

The sickening scene played out like a bad horror movie- Danzo held the screw near the prisoner's eye, bringing the screwdriver closer and closer, letting the whirring sound grow louder and louder in the old man's ears.

THUD. THUD.

Danzo released the button on the device, turning toward the door where the noises originated from. For a few moments everything was still. Suddenly the door was kicked open and many half-inch thick metal cables shot into the interrogation room, two going through Danzo's leg and shoulder. The leader roared in pain, unable to fall due to being strung up like a bad puppet.

"Danzo."

The bandaged man turned his eye onto the speaker, a man he had not noticed enter the room. The attacker tilted his masked face as if in amusement.

"I'll be transferring Mr. Usetetsu to a different facility, if you don't mind," the black-clad assailant asked nicely, as if Danzo had a choice. "I wouldn't want him to suffer more than he has to."

"You'll never make it out alive," Danzo spoke through gritted teeth, "you're what we call TAC. Trapped and Cornered."

The masked man held a finger up to where his chin would be and hummed in thought.

"I'd rather be called Calamity," he spoke, amusement pouring out of his voice. He walked over to the old prisoner, undid the restraints, then put the struggling man over his shoulder before walking out of the room- only being followed by a stranded Danzo's curses.

---

Academy

---

When Naruto came to, he was lying on his back in the Medical office of the Academy. Sighing, he sat up and rubbed his head.

"_Hey Kyuubi-sensei,_" Naruto spoke inwardly, "_Do I have to keep my Field secret? I wasn't able to fight my full against Kiba without it._"

"**Eventually kid, you'll have to reveal it, so I don't get why you were hiding it in the first place.**"

"You told me to!"

"**Did not,**" the Kyuubi muttered, examining a claw, "**I just suggested that you keep a low profile with it. Don't show it off to everyone like that Kiba brat.** **I don't want you ending up being anything like him. He was a slimy little rat to dirty your parents' memory like that.**"

Naruto didn't reply, instead he thought about why the insult made him feel so angry. He had never known his parents, but at the time Kiba's comment seem to confirm what he had sometimes thought to himself- his belief that his parents abandoned him because they hated him. The thought was unfounded, but it still left seeds of doubt buried in Naruto's mind. The blonde shook his head to rid himself of those morbid thoughts and left the medical office, deciding to rejoin the class.

However, in the hallway a masked ANBU turned the corner and, seeing Naruto, stopped and spoke.

"The Hokage requires your presence," a feminine voice floated out from behind the mask, startling Naruto who expected a lower, more masculine voice.

"Uh, okay? Any tips why?"

"You'll find out when you get there."

The blonde shrugged and allowed himself to be escorted by the ANBU to the Hokage Building.

---

Slums: Abandoned Factory

---

Calamity threw the now unconscious old man into a chair, strapping him down and gagging him.

"You actually stormed the ROOT base just to kidnap an old man?" The Aburame was leaning against a decaying pillar in the center of the empty cavernous room.

"Yes, he's essential to my plan," Calamity returned. The sunglasses-wearing man chuckled.

"I still think you don't know what the hell you're doing."

"I know perfectly well. All I have to do is put the pieces into place. This whole situation is like a giant game of chess! All except the pieces can move, breathe, and sometimes make decisions contrary to what they were told to do," Calamity spared a side glance at the Aburame, who smirked.

"And what, pray, am I in this game of chess?"

"Oh, you'll find out soon enough. All the pieces have the same purpose anyway…"

The Aburame shook his head before leaving the room. Calamity waited until he felt the man's chakra disappear. He pulled a small object out of his pocket and put it on the floor beside Mano's chair. He puled his hand away to reveal a worn chess piece, it's carving designating it to be a King. He stood and walked out, chuckling to himself as he did so.

"…to be sacrificed for the victory."

* * *

End of Part 2, Part 3 will come later. Toodles!


	8. SAPa3: Run and Hide

Hello everyone! Welcome back to RFA, the completely random fan fiction that I did not make a plan for and that I think out as I write! If you don't believe me just ask the 6 paragraphs I deleted and rewrote of the battle scene between Kiba and Naruto last chapter (It had Naruto totally pwning with above Genin level tricks. I had to dumb it down to academy first year level.) Then at one point I made Naruto break at the parents comment and be mentally insane, complete with maniacal laughter and creepy smiles!

…I really have NO idea what I'm doing 'till I do it. Right now I have NO clue where this arc is going, so let meh see if I can somehow bring it BACK to the slums….

*Added after I finished writing: Yeah, I think I did pretty well…mega chapter though

* * *

Chapter 8

The Slum Arc Part 3: Run and Hide

Naruto and the ANBU strode into the Hokage's office- Naruto running to match the ANBU's long strides- and stood in front of Sarutobi's desk. The old man smiled grimly at Naruto and dismissed the ANBU. She nodded and left, leaving an apprehensive blonde in her wake.

"Naruto," Sarutobi spoke sadly. "I have some unfortunate news."

Naruto made no comment, though his eyes conveyed worry. Sarutobi eyed him carefully before sighing and revealing his news.

"Usetetsu Mano has gone missing."

"WHAT!?"

Naruto began to panic, and he slammed his hands down on the Hokage's desk.

"You have to send EVERYBODY! GET HIM BACK!"

Sarutobi held up a hand, silencing Naruto.

"I understand your worry, but Mano is not who you think he is."

Naruto's face screwed up in confusion, his eyes now questioning. He wanted very much to say that he knew exactly who Mano was, that he spent countless nights with him in his reading chair, that he could give Mano's life story by heart. But inside Naruto knew that this was not so. Sometimes Naruto noticed that Mano's eyes became sharper, contrary to his usual tired, twinkling ones. During these times it was like Mano was a whole different person, more abrupt and to the point. Naruto's head swam in these thoughts as Sarutobi continued.

"We have found out that he is a Ninja of Amegakure, and is possibly on a malevolent assignment to send Konoha's secrets to the Rain Village."

"NO! NOT JIJI," Naruto shouted immediately, his thoughts shattering. "HE ISN'T A SPY! YOU'RE LYING TO ME!"

"Here is the proof," Sarutobi spoke gently, and slid forward a file along with a headband.

Naruto ran forward and grabbed the two items, before dashing out of the office. Sarutobi halted the hidden ANBU with a wave of his hand, still remembering the conflicted face of the Kyuubi container as he snatched the file and the headband off his desk.

---

Naruto sprinted through the street, his feet sending dirt and rocks flying up into the air. He just wanted to go home, to slip under his bed covers and read Mano's book- yeah, he decided, that's just what he'll do- then he'll burn the file and the headband…

An unbidden picture came to him of a younger Mano in Ninja clothing, who was slowly donning a headband, the same headband in the whiskered teen's hands…

Naruto shook his head forcefully, causing him to stumble a little bit in his run. He regained his footing, but his brain was conflicted, the image of an Ame Mano clashing against the old man Mano-

He strode into his apartment, continuing to his bedroom. He grabbed Mano's book from under the sheets and walked back into the kitchen. He placed the book on the table, then placed the slightly crumpled file folder on the desk along with the headband he had stuffed in his pocket.

He eyed the book, but slowly, his eyes swiveled to look at the folder. He ran his hand through his hair, breathing out to steady himself. He reached out and grabbed…

His hands flipped open the folder, revealing several letters and certificates. He picked up the first certificate, and flinched at what he saw.

It was an award of excellence signed by the Amekage to Usetetsu Mano for bravery out in the field.

Naruto picked up the next certificate, and the next, and the next, and they all confirmed Naruto's worst fears.

Top Infiltration Rank awarded to Usetetsu Mano

Induction to the Rain Seven awarded to Usetetsu Mano

Recognition of Loyalty to Amegakure awarded to Usetetsu Mano.

Naruto pushed all the certificates to the side. He picked up the letters, and began to read the first one.

---

_Dear love, _

_This is my first day in Konoha, and I find it so strange! I always thought that the leaf was a vicious place with evil men, but now I see I could not be more wrong. All the people here seem happy, and I could speculate that if asked, they would make out our village to be evil, not theirs. I'm happy to be somewhere that's not so wet, ha ha._

_I'm posing as a poor man, which I am since they stripped me of all my belongings. I do hope they gave them to you. I managed to save my mouth regulator from the searchers by sealing it into a seal on my arm.__**(1)**__ I sigh while writing to you, for that cabin seems more inviting than here, no matter how sunny it is in this village. I just wish to be in your arms again…How are you doing? Ame giving you any trouble? Please write back soon!_

_Love,_

_Mano_

---

Naruto raised an eyebrow. Mano sounded so young, so happy…

He quickly picked up the next letter.

---

_Dear love,_

_I'm happy to see that you are doing well! This is my second month here, and I'm afraid there are no secrets to be found. I'm living in the slums to avoid any suspicion, but I hope that soon, I'll be able to go home. Any course of action to attain the Forbidden Scroll of Sealing will most likely be suicide, and with my recognized loyalty to Ame, Amekage-sama will be sure to understand. _

_There is an odd feeling however, in these streets. The people here in the slums should be depressed and shy, but they are always happy and welcoming. They would probably give me their cardboard boxes if I asked for patches to fix my roof! I don't know the reason behind it, but something is in the air here that keeps everyone in good spirits…or perhaps…it's in the ground…_

_Love,_

_Mano_

---

The letter was placed down on the table, and the last letter was picked up.

---

_Dear love,_

_I'm onto something. I can't describe it, but the slums seems like a giant hiding place. Something is here. Something so powerful, that its effects seem to permeate the air and change the people who live here. It's the only explanation. I must find the source of this power! Please do not inform the Rain village, I do not trust them to act peacefully in this place…_

_Love, _

_Mano_

---

Naruto blinked. Something of power hidden in the slums? Mano seemed to have been on to something. It seemed though, Naruto noticed, that Mano had started doubting his home village. This filled the blonde up with hope. Maybe, just maybe, Mano had given up the Rain Village? The boy shook his head, and got up from his table.

He needed to know more.

---

Warehouse

---

The Aburame sat against a wall, sighing in boredom. Calamity mirrored him, except he was seated in a chair across from Mano. Both were waiting for the old man to awaken.

Slowly, the man lifted his head and gave Calamity a steady stare.

"Hello!" Calamity tilted his head in welcome, raising a peace sign.

Mano didn't answer.

"Here is the drill," Calamity continued. "I am going to draw the Kyuubi here, using you as bait. He won't be able to stop himself from trying to save you. Regis here will kill the boy, then you can be on your merry way! Everyone is happy."

Regis, the Aburame, raised a hand to wave at the old man, who glared back.

"What do you want?" Mano finally spoke.

"Hmm, I guess I can tell you," considered the black-clothed man.

He stood and started pacing.

"There is something of great power hidden in the slums," Calamity began, but stopped when he noticed Mano's eyes widening almost imperceptibly. "Oh, you know of it? How interesting how things play out…"

Mano glared back.

"You'll never find it!" the old man spat. "Never!"

"Apparently, you did find it!" Calamity shouted excitedly. "Where is it!"

"Like I'm ever cooperating with you, you pathetic piece of crap," Mano retorted, his eyes sharpening.

Calamity took a step back, examining the change in Mano. He seemed to be more confident, with a look in his eyes that screamed ninja. Killing intent was pouring out of the old man.

Calamity was silent for a moment, then he began laughing. The laughter echoed around the warehouse and the Aburame smirked.

"Very good killing intent there," Calamity chuckled. "And I thought you were going to be another boring hostage."

Mano glared back.

"Why do you want Naruto dead?" Mano asked coolly.

"The source of power that we are looking for is said to be anti-demonic, meaning it is a weapon against demons like the Kyuubi," Calamity informed him. "Because of that, I was worried that the Kyuubi would try to stop us from attaining it. By using you as a hostage, we can draw him into a checkmate."

Mano gained a worried look in his eyes for a split second, but his ferocity returned.

"Naruto won't die, he'll destroy the both of you! His tenant won't allow him to be snuffed out so easily!"

"That's funny, but I don't think that the Kyuubi can stop a Ryuuka no Jutsu at point blank, can he Mano," Calamity asked amusedly, before turning. "He was born in fire, and he shall die in fire…how fitting."

Mano struggled in his bindings, screaming obscenities at the two. The Aburame stood and walked over to the window. He waved a hand, gesturing for the black-clad ninja to look out though the glass. Calamity complied and looked before chuckling. He turned to Mano and spoke words that silenced the man.

"Looks like the Kyuubi is breaking into your shop," Calamity spoke before turning to Regis. "You know what to do."

The Aburame smirked before leaving.

---

Naruto winced as he cut his hand on an edge of the newly broken window. He continued to clamber over the sill, almost stepping on the rock he had used to break the glass, and landed in the dust and glass shards that littered Mano's Antique Shop.

"Sorry old man," Naruto muttered aloud, brushing himself off, "But I need to know."

"**Pathetic,**" Kyuubi snorted, sounding oddly annoyed.

"_What's your problem sourpuss?"_

"**Oh nothing, I just was under the impression that you wanted to be a **_**ninja, **_**not a caveman,**" Kyuubi reprimanded, "**All you needed to do was undo the lock using the Field. Next time think before you start chucking rocks.**"

Naruto rubbed his head sheepishly, noticing that he had indeed made a huge mess. He shrugged it off and crunched through the fallen glass toward the office. He slowly pushed the door open, peering through the crack to see if anyone was inside. Seeing no one, he pushed the door fully open and made his way over to the desk.

"Now, Jiji, let's see what you really are," Naruto muttered while pulling open a drawer.

The first drawer held store records, and thus it was a pathetically small pile of yellowing papers. Naruto flipped through these in bewilderment, wondering how Mano stayed in business. He shook his head and put them back, then pulled open the second drawer. There were a bunch of writing instruments, some as ancient-looking as feather quills, some modern like ballpoint pens. Naruto was disappointed at the lack of information he was encountering. Then he pulled open the third drawer.

"This is…" Naruto's eyes widened.

There lying in the drawer, were two combat knives. Naruto's eyes admired the dark steel, tempered so that they didn't reflect light. He picked the weapons up, noticing that he liked these far better than he liked kunai. He just felt…_right_…with them being in his hands. They each only had one edge, with the other side being flat. There was no curve to the back of either blade, only the bends where the edges met the tips.

"Having fun?"

Naruto whipped around while still holding the knives. His heart beating rapidly, Naruto's vice-like grip on the weapons increased as he noticed a man standing in the doorway. Said man smirked at the shaking boy in front of him before speaking.

"Name's Regis," said the Aburame, holding out a hand.

Naruto eyed the hand suspiciously, then he stepped back, holding the knives in a defensive position in front of him. Seeing that the boy wasn't going to take it, Regis withdrew his hand and crossed his arms with a sigh.

"I'm not here to hurt you, sadly," Regis continued, eyeing the blonde. "I'm just here to deliver a message."

Naruto's eyes became slants.

"Did you kidnap Jiji?" Naruto asked in a restrained voice.

The Aburame put his hand to his chin in thought.

"Well, yes and no. Danzo's men did," the Aburame thought aloud, "then we saved him from Danzo, so I guess you could say we kidnapped him second handedly?"

Naruto's eyes became even more dark.

"Tell me where he is," Naruto ordered.

"Fine," Regis waved a hand in the air as if it was no big deal, and Naruto was taken aback. "He's at that rusted sandal factory. We needed him as bait to get rid of someone."

Naruto growled at the man, who stepped back and allowed Naruto to dash past him. He then leaned against the wall and fingered his stuffy clothing.

"He should have just let me finish him off here, then I could finally get out of this damn disguise," the fake Aburame muttered to himself, scratching his nose, "Ah well. At least this way the collateral damage won't be too high. No one will ever find out."

He sighed yet again and shunshin'd out of the store, leaving some swirling papers behind.

---

Regis returned to the factory and informed his partner that Naruto was on his way. Calamity turned to Mano in amusement.

"You're part has just been fulfilled!" Calamity chuckled. "You should be happy!"

Mano sat helplessly bonded to the chair. If only he could do something- get himself out of these bindings!

He almost smacked himself if it weren't for the ropes.

He was an ex-_ninja_ damn it! He shook his head slightly, trying to clear his mind of frustration. Curling his hands slightly, he concentrated intensely on his chakra. Beads of sweat rolled down his withered face but he kept his mind on his chakra, trying to feel its swirling matter…

"Hey old man, what are you doing?" Regis asked from his place at the window, receiving no response. "Old man, you gonna die of old age on us?"

Regis walked over to the hostage and bent down to eye level with Mano, inspecting the sweating face of the senior. He frowned, and raised his finger to flick the hostage on the forehead. However, before he could complete the action, the senior's eyes snapped open.

"**Suiton: Daibakufu no Jutsu!**"

---

Naruto's sides burned as he raced through the unlocked doors of the factory. He had to get to Mano before those creeps did anything to him!

"**Remember kid, no taijutsu, only use your field,**" Kyuubi reminded, "**That's the only thing you can use to combat a higher level ninja like that Regis!**"

"RIGHT!" he responded, running into a hallway.

A twinkling sound stopped his run. He came to a halt, looking around in confusion. It kind of sounded like a stream of water, but this building was not owned so it shouldn't have any running water. He took a step but recoiled when his shoe sunk into something soggy. His frown increased.

"The floor is wet?"

He searched around and saw that the darkened splotch on the carpet went underneath a door to his left. He turned the handle and pushed the worn door open, allowing ankle-high water to flood into the hallway. His eyes were met with a waterfall.

It seemed that a large influx of water had spilled into the stair well, and now the stairs made the water cascade in arches of white down the steps. He splashed through the entrance and grabbed the handrail, pulling himself up the stairs and wondering how such a thing could have happened. With every step, however, noises at the top of the stairs grew louder.

"-**a no ju**-!"

_CRASH._

"-**ton no jutsu**!"

_BOOM._

"-**izu Misairukurasshu no Jutsu**!"

_SNAP. _

Naruto reached the top of the stairs and approached the door labeled with a "2". He mentally prepared himself- while really not knowing what the hell was going on- and tightened his grip on the handle. With a mighty wrench, he pulled the door open.

---

Mano ducked the flaming shurikens and leapt, flipping onto the ceiling and using chakra to secure himself. His hands blurred as his arthritic fingers formed stiff seals. Finishing his seals, he cut the chakra flow to his feet and executed a inverted half-spin. As he hit the factory floor he slammed his hands to the ground.

"**Ooki na Nami no Jutsu**!"

A huge wave rose in front of him, gathering from all the water on the floor. The old man grunted and willed the wave forward with his chakra. The mountain of water vibrated for a moment as if coursing with energy, then it shot forward at the target with unnatural speeds. Regis howled as the wave crashed into him with concussive force, throwing him into a wall. As his soaked figure began to fall, his surroundings suddenly slowed down as if he were watching a video in slow motion. He could only gaze on as the wave crashed downward and revealed Mano flying behind it, a kunai held in each hand. The look on the old man's face was sharp, like an eagle swooping on its prey. Before Regis's body could hit the floor, Mano landed in front of him and struck with deadly accuracy.

All the fake Aburame did was smirk before the light left his eyes. His crème-colored clothing began to pink with blood, spreading from the two kunai that pinned him to the wall through his heart. The sunglasses fell from his nose and made a small splash on the wet floor.

Mano nodded his head at his now dead opponent. It had been a particularly vicious battle, and now a life was lost because of it. He reached forward a hand and closed Regis's now lifeless green eyes.

Clapping rose him from his thoughts.

Calamity walked out from behind a cracked pillar, his hands coming together in celebration for Mano's victory. The old man's eyes squinted in what used to be a fierce glare.

"Well, I certainly didn't expect that!" Calamity admitted brightly.

"You're next," Mano spoke grimly and started to form hand signs.

He was halted by Calamity's next words.

"I would love to fight you but it seems our guest of honor has arrived," Calamity spoke brightly while waving a hand behind himself.

Mano paled as he saw Naruto standing in the doorway of the stairwell. The boy's face had a mixture of astonishment and worry, and judging by the pallid nature of his face, Mano assumed that he had most likely witnessed Regis's murder.

"N-Naruto?"

Calamity giggled and turned to Naruto, who started a bit. The next moment, the masked man blurred and suddenly appeared behind Naruto. Naruto blinked when he felt his shirt being grabbed, and was not fast enough to resist before he was thrown across the room, flying over, and almost hitting, the former hostage. Mano turned by reflex, checking to see whether Naruto was okay.

The boy hit the ankle-deep water with an audible splash, and Mano took a step forward to help the boy.

"Naruto? Are you o-"

Mano jerked to a stop as an odd feeling washed over him like a wave.

He felt weaker…much weaker…

His vision blurred around the edges, throwing everything else into vivid contrast. Feeling an odd twinge of pain, he tilted his head downwards to see a half-inch cable running through the center of his chest. He heard Naruto's strangled gasp, and the tinkling sounds of running water. His fingers had odd prickling sensations, as if someone was poking his fingertips with fine needles. His leg muscles slowly relaxed and he sunk to his old knees, his gnarled hands sweeping the surface of the water. His vivid sight now glazed over, and everything seemed darker.

Usetetsu Mano slumped over and laid down in the water, his wrinkled eyelids slowly closing over his darkening orbs…

---

Naruto gasped as he saw the cable penetrate his grandfather's body. His breath lodged in his throat and he froze, only able to watch as his most loved one slowly died before his eyes. As Mano slumped over, Naruto suddenly regained strength and rushed over to the man, kneeling beside his prone body and pulling the loose cable out.

"Jiji?! Jiji?! Wake up! Wake up!" Naruto shouted, shaking Mano gently.

"**Kid-**"

"What do we have here?"

Naruto snapped his attention up to Calamity, who had resumed his position by the pillar and was reeling back in his cable. The masked man had lost his care-free aura and seemed to radiate grim intent. Naruto gulped.

"**Kit listen to me-**"

Naruto's fear momentarily shut Kyuubi out as Calamity continued.

"You are here to meet judgment, fox," Calamity said. "Your death shall clear the way for my quest. That object, demon, that you would surely protect with your life will next be in my hands."

"**Brat you have to fight!**"

Naruto was stock still.

"I have had time to observe your actions, and my opinion of you has not changed. You wear a mask to hide the beast within. Your failure to use chakra astounds me, but what else should I expect from a filthy demon?"

"**Brat-**"

"You are a nobody."

"**Kid-**"

"Like your beloved Jiji there, I will bring death to you as well!" Calamity shouted with anger and ran forward.

"**NARUTO!**"

Naruto snapped out of his trance. This man killed his Grandfather. The only one that Naruto trusted with his heart. This masked murderer was going to pay.

Blue eyes bled to white. His pupils faded from black into the whites of the eye, so it seemed as though the whites of his eyes stretched across his the whole of both his eyeballs.

Naruto howled in anger and shot his arms forward in two different directions, curving his hands like they were gripping something invisible. Calamity stumbled to a stop, wary of the blonde's transformation.

Naruto's hands tightened their grip, and two pillars next to the black-clad man groaned. Calamity spun around in confusion, unsure of what was happening. Naruto gave one last yell and closed his hands into fists. The pillars exploded, shrapnel hitting the man from all directions. The man's feet were knocked from under him by a large block.

Now that the pillars were gone, Naruto directed both hands to the ceiling above Calamity. He spread his fingers wide, then curled his fingertips as if trying to grip the ceiling. Naruto gave the masked man a furious glare and wrenched his arms down. The man screamed as a huge section of the concrete ceiling collapsed and came crashing down on Calamity, hiding him from Naruto's sight and silencing his screams of horror.

Naruto, still kneeling by Mano's side, let his arms drop to his side as he huffed in exhaustion. His eyes didn't bleed back to blue, but remained blank, permanently staying white.

"**Kid, you did it!**" applauded Kyuubi.

Naruto didn't answer. He only looked at his hands, seeing the damage they had caused. And in the end, he hadn't saved-

A croak shattered his thought processes to little bits.

He bent over Mano and saw that the man was still conscious, his eyes struggling to stay open and his mouth emitting a strangled croaking noise.

"Jiji! You're alive! Wait, let me go get a medic-"

Naruto tried to stand but a gnarled hand grabbed his arm.

"No…no…it…won't…matter…" Mano croaked, coughing slightly. "Gran…Grandson…please…listen to me…"

Naruto silently sat next to Mano and supported the old man's head. The man seemed to gain a little strength.

"I…am from…Ame-"

"Yeah, I know," Naruto said sadly, making sure that Mano did not waste precious breath. "You were a great ninja, and you had a girlfriend-"

"-Wife.." Mano said, tears leaking from his eyes. "I left Ame…they…were too violent…too… war driven…when…they…heard that…I no longer…served them…they killed…they killed h-…"

Naruto nodded tearfully, silently acknowledged what the man was trying to say. The man's tears ran down his wrinkled cheeks in little streams. He raised his gnarled hand and held Naruto's cheek.

"N…Naruto!" the old man gasped out while clutching Naruto's cheek, which had a river of tears of its own.

"Yes Jiji?!" Naruto cried, placing a reassuring hand on Mano's.

"Page…seventy….seven…remember…please…seventy…seven," Mano gasped out, losing his grip on Naruto's cheek. "And…grandson…one…more…thing"

"Yes, anything!"

Mano's tearful darkening eyes stared deep into Naruto's tearful white ones. The old man's face contorted into one of deep sorrow and emotional agony.

"I…love you…"

The grandfather's eyes closed for the last time. His hand grew limp in Naruto's hold. Naruto remained beside the body of his loved one, holding the gnarled hand that used to rub his hair and flip the pages of so many books. He imagined how that hand must have ached after recording the many adventures of its owner. He imagined how it must have felt to feel his own whiskered cheek on the brink of death.

The Kyuubi container leaned back his head and howled his misery to the universe, a sad song of rage and sorrow, a combination of life and death, but most noticeable of all, a declaration of love.

---

--

-

Rain fell as the funeral procession finished. Many were there; all of the homeless had come to pay their respects, most of them tearful and sorrowful. A friend of Mano's had delivered the speech. Naruto was asked to originally, but the homeless understood his reasons for not wanting to. Mano was a source of happiness for everyone in the slums, particularly Naruto, and having a flame like that die out was a horrid affair, having heavy impact on those closest to him.

After everyone else had left, Naruto stood from his chair, slowly approaching the grave. In accordance to Mano's will, the words onto his simple tombstone were carved in a scrawling font, matching his handwriting. The top of the memorial read:

"Usetetsu Mano: Loving Friend, Grandfather, and Fellow Old Geezer."

Naruto smiled a little at that, wiping away a tear. He let his eyes drop down a little to the message underneath those words.

"_I will run and hide until memories fade away, and I will leave behind a love so strong…_"

Naruto bent down and ran his fingers over the words, sadly remembering the man.

"**It's not over you know,**" Kyuubi spoke gently, "**There is a heaven, though it pains me to say it.**"

"_Really?_"

"**Yes,**" Kyuubi responded, "**Cueball's probably running another customer-less Antique Shop for the big man right now.**"

Naruto laughed a little bit at that. He smiled down at the grave, remembering how the old man used to smile and laugh, and how he would be laughing as well at a comment like that.

"_Learn respect for your elders!_" echoed the amused voice of Mano in Naruto's head.

Naruto closed his eyes and stood, facing the North. He let the wind play on his face, caressing his cheeks and hands. His eyelids snapped open, revealing his milky white orbs.

Mano was watching over him now. It was time to make him proud.

End of the Slum Arc.

* * *

Well, how'd you like it? I was on a roll and now it's…4:40 in the morning. =_=; Great.

(1) The face breather thing that Hanzo and the (Chuunin Exam) Rain Nin wear.


	9. Life Goes On But Pocky Never Dies

BEFORE I SAY ANYTHING ELSE, MAKE SURE TO CHECK OUT MY NEW STORY "Poltergeists!" IF YOU ENJOY A MORE SERIOUS GENRE! That is all. Caps is fun lolz

Hello viewers! Welcome back to Rabbit Fox's Apprentice, the fiction about nothing at all! Yes! Now that the Humor Train has been refueled, I'll be taking tickets please! YAHAHA WOOT! But first we have to load the train with a bunch of constipated Hyuugas, so expect some seriousness at first!

Summary: Kyuubi always had the proverbial raincloud floating over his head. Can he survive the boredom of his imprisonment by helping his container?

Pairings: Narutox?

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, Kakashi, the Teletubbies, or the Wiggles…not that they are in this fic…*evil grin*

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Chapter 9

_A crying blond-haired child is found in the rubble, lead away by a kind old man in white robes. Black clothed ninjas search the scene, only recovering one corpse, that of an old man. _

_But they found the clothes. _

_A cloak and a mask, all in black. They were recovered from beneath a collapsed roof, but there was no sign of the owner nearby…_

_And so Calamity mysteriously vanished…_

-

Two Years Later

-

The sound of raucous laughter and clinking glasses filled the tent, where a group of men were having a feast. Some were dressed in extensive armor, swords waiting at their hips, and yet some were wearing casual clothing and slopping beer down their fronts. A brown-haired man- a samurai by the looks of his blue armor- stood and drew his katana, waiting for attention. The tent quickly quieted. He began his speech with a proud tone.

"Today we all accomplished a great deed," he rumbled with a smile. "Because of our efforts, we managed to secure our master's security and wealth."

A round of hooting and hollering exploded from the table, and the samurai smiled.

"But more importantly, we secured one thing greater," he continued, and eyed his soldiers proudly. "Our futures!"

A round of "aye-aye" swept the table, and all the warriors nodded their heads in unison. The samurai waved a hand to the butlers waiting on the side. They each carried five glasses on a sparkling silver platter, handing a glass to each of the men at the table. The blue armored man took his own glass and raised it, placing his sword on the table in front of him.

"This is the rarest wine ever bottled. Courtesy of our master for a job well done!"

The men all raised their glasses and shouted, "FOR OROCHIMARU!"

And they drank.

The butlers all exited the tent, leaving behind the drinking soldiers. Not long after, the joyful cheers from within the canvas room turned to confused shouts. The butlers had finally crossed the boundary of the campsite by the time the shouts had turned to horrified screams.

One of the butlers turned and grinned, taking in the screams.

"You didn't have to put so much in the wine," spoke a slightly robotic voice from above.

The butler jumped in fright and looked up at the white-eyed boy hanging upside-down from a tree branch. The blond was wearing a metal device over his mouth, making his voice sound distorted. The butler shivered, staring into the empty white voids that seemed to be looking at nothing and everything at the same time. He regained his composure.

"Those men raped and murdered my wife and daughter. They deserve whatever they get tonight."

The blond dropped from the branch, flipping to land on his feet. He was wearing combat boots, black long baggy pants, and a black unzipped jacket, partially revealing a shirtless torso underneath. He wore the hood over his bright hair.

"And they will be punished as you wish…if the hallucinogens don't scare them to death first," the dark robotic voice spoke.

The butler nodded and continued down the path, hesitating at the boy's dark nature.

"You know, you're still young," the man spoke gently. "You can still turn back now."

The blond turned and set his milky orbs upon the man, staring into his soul.

"There is no turning back…"

The concerned butler seemed to take this as a dismissal and left. White eyes swiveled to stare at the scream-filled campsite.

"No turning back…"

"**Showtime Naruto."**

"_Hai Master Kyuubi."_

The boy set his brow and entered the encampment.

-

Mizuki sighed as he stared at the latest test scores. Uchiha and Haruno got full marks, like usual. Hyuuga and Yamanaka tied for second, as always, and Aburame took the third highest mark, as expected.

Uzumaki got last. Simply because his test was completely blank, as if no effort was spent on it. He did not even write down his name on the paper. Mizuki sighed and placed a "0" in his teacher's book under Naruto's entry.

"There a problem Mizuki?"

Iruka was looking at him from his desk, seeming slightly worried about Mizuki's depression. Mizuki returned Iruka's stare.

"Ever since the…incident two years ago, Naruto has put no effort into the academy," Mizuki began, folding his fingers in front of him and closing his eyes. "To put it frankly, I'm worried. Post traumatic stress is the likely cause."

"I see what you mean. Forfeiting spars before they even start, not paying attention to his grades and schoolwork, ignoring his friends…it's almost as if he has just given up," Iruka said softly, looking genuinely concerned. "Maybe it's an after effect of his Grandfather-like figure passing away."

"You mean being murdered."

"Of course, I just-"

"It's all right, Iruka, but we mustn't sugar coat reality," Mizuki muttered, cutting Iruka off. "And sadly, the reality is that Naruto will not survive the ninja life."

"We mustn't shut him down prematurely," Iruka returned softly. "There may be hope yet."

-

The whiskered twelve year-old stopped ten feet from the entrance of the tent, listening to the horrified clatter inside. He then held out his arms, palms up. Nothing happened at first, however that changed when rocks began floating off of the ground, rotating in place slowly. The blond winced slightly, not from pain, but from what he was about to do.

"…Sorry."

He turned his arms over and the rocks shot at insane speeds through the canvas with many small _thump thump thumps_. The screams shot up in volume as crimson splashed the insides of the tents, the fire inside making their frenzied movements cast shadows against the sides of the tent.

The blond walked forward and lifted the tent flap, pausing with hesitation before entering.

Inside, the table was flipped onto its side and broken glass littered the floor. Bloody and bruised soldiers writhed in agony in the dirt. He shouldered his nausea and searched for the soldier in the best condition. He found one in the form of a brown-haired samurai, who lay muttering to himself but appeared otherwise fine. The blond approached the man and pulled him into a sitting position. The man's gray unfocused eyes slowly came to a stop, resting on Naruto's. The man made a frenzied jerking motion, scared by a combination of the toxins and the white eyes.

"W-What ARE YOU??!!"

Naruto replied in his low metallic growling voice, holding in his guilt at what he was doing.

"I am the past, present, and future," Naruto began, making the man's eyes go wider. "I see all…and I have been watching you, samurai."

"P-please!"

"I must say, I am not happy about your actions…"

"No! Spare me!"

"Spare you?"

Metallic laughter filled the tent, and the man's eyeballs threatened to bulge from the sockets. Then the sound stopped, leaving the boy to stare at the man.

"Alright, but you shall carry word of my power. I do wish to gather some more deserving souls…"

The man nodded frantically.

"I promise!!!"

Naruto chopped the man on the neck, knocking him out. He then sighed and removed the breather, wondering why he had to do these things.

--

Naruto was hours away from the camp, leaping from tree to tree.

"**There you go, you just cemented your notoriety.**"

"That was horrible," Naruto returned aloud.

"**Those men were rapists,**" Kyuubi responded. "**They deserve their punishment. Hmph. They should be on their knees thanking you for the opportunity to help start your career!**"

"I guess the punishment part makes me feel better."

"**Hey! There's the smelly midget I know!**"

"Tch. You're calling me smelly? You smell like you've been crapping and peeing yourself for 12 years. Oh wait," Naruto grinned evilly, "you have been."

"**I would say 'low blow' but it's impossible for a midget to make any high blows.**"

"Shut it rodent!"

"**What happened to 'Master Kyuubi'?!**"

"I don't know, tell me when you find him."

"**Grr…**"

"Now shut it, I have to sneak back into Konoha before sunrise…"

-

Next Day

-

"SASUKE-KUN!"

Sasuke hid his pocky in a flash, not wanting it to be stolen. A blonde girl and a pink-haired girl flew through the air and glomped Sasuke, causing his dark side to rise. These girls were denying him of his pocky. His delicious, amazing, wonderful pocky…

"Sakura, Ino," Sasuke muttered, and the girls got hearts in their eyes.

"Yes Sasuke-KUN?!"

"You're annoying."

"Oh Sasuke-kun, we know! We know you just use a mask to cover your inner feelings! Just pour the love you've been holding back onto us!" Sakura shouted, hugging Sasuke's bewildered face to her flat chest.

This is the sight that greeted an exhausted Naruto as he entered the classroom. His eye twitched as he saw that his chair was taken by Ino. He sighed and tried to decide the least difficult way to get his seat back.

"OH SAAASUKE-KUN~"

"_That's it!_" a pissed off Naruto shouted inwardly. He moved out into the hallway where no one could see him.

"OH MY GOOOSSHHH!" Naruto shouted in a falsetto high voice, getting everyone in the classroom's attention. "SOMEONE POSTED A PICTURE OF SASUKE NAKED ON THE BULLETIN BOARD!"

All the girls except Hinata immediately stampeded to the door and shoved their way through, leaving Sasuke to himself as Ino and Sakura were fighting for the front positions. A few seconds later, Hinata and the boys' attention were drawn across the room where a black sandal and a leg swung over the window frame, followed by a torso and the grinning face of Naruto.

He landed in the classroom, unnoticed by the screaming girls fighting to get into the hallway. He noticed that the others were watching him with grins and so he took a deep bow, sending a blush to Hinata's face. He then got to his seat where he sent a dark glare at Sasuke, which the raven-haired boy returned.

"Teme."

"Dobe."

The blond then inconspicuously pushed a note over to Sasuke, who picked it up and read.

'_Oy Sasuke, let's have another training session after class today. Your place.'_

Naruto felt something against his hand, seeing the reply note and a stick of pocky, which he quickly devoured in hunger.

'_okay pocky-friend. just no field this time, only weapons!'_

Naruto pouted and replied.

'_But you're better at weapons.'_

Sasuke grinned at the note.

'_Look at me, does it look like I care?'_

The blond looked up from the note to see Sasuke's newly dubbed 'Face of Constipation' staring at the front of the room. Naruto broke out into laughter, drawing the attention of most of the class, including the girls who had finally realized that the picture was a lie and had sat back down in their chairs.

"Something funny Naruto?" Iruka asked, entering the classroom.

"Ah, no," the boy replied quickly. "I…er…just remembered a really funny joke is all."

"Oh really?" Iruka grinned. "Well I would love to hear it."

"Uh, okay."

Naruto stood and grinned at his classmates.

"Why did the Iwa-Nin have rearview mirrors on their tanks?"

He smiled at the blank faces.

"So that they could still watch the battle."

The class erupted in laughter, even evoking a small smile from Mizuki, who had walked in at the punch line.

"Ah yes. The whole 'iwa nins are cowards' stereotype. 'We surrender!' indeed eh?" Mizuki spoke, emitting some giggles from the students. "But on a more serious note, I must inform you guys of something even more…earthshaking."

He put a briefcase up on his desk, opened it, and pulled out a bunch of papers.

"I'm sure that you all hate each other now since we put you into work group teams in your first year here," Mizuki spoke bluntly, unaware of Naruto and Sasuke fist-bumping underneath their table, "but now you won't have to worry about that. Soon the Genin exams are going to take place and you will be placed into real teams. These teams will be like your family. You will eat together, do missions together, sleep together-"

"Oh I certainly hope so," Kiba spoke out loud without thinking, watching Hinata with a drooling mouth. Everyone stared at him and Hinata just looked confused.

"…Anyway," Mizuki continued, "You will act as one. So I expect _everyone _to be completely ready to take on the ninja life before you sign up for the exam. I won't have two others die just because you were shaky in your decision to become a ninja. Am I clear?"

All the students nodded.

"Okay, now let's go over the review chapters…"

-

Naruto fingered his white shirt tiredly as he walked to the Uchiha District. Immediately after sneaking into Konoha- which wasn't very hard with the oblivious guards- he had returned home, stored Mano's breather in a safe place, then slipped into his casual academy clothes. Therefore he had no time to sleep and was exceedingly exhausted.

During Mano's autopsy, a seal was found on the man's arm. The seal contained the breather and, in accordance to Mano's Will, was given to Naruto after being tested. Naruto also kept the combat knives because he found he had a certain affinity for dual wielding.

And speaking of dangerous weapons…

"Pocky-friend! You've arrived!"

"Yo Sasuke," Naruto replied, a grin appearing on his face.

Naruto had arrived in the Uchiha District, and approached Sasuke who was standing in the middle of the main road. The raven-haired boy standing in the street grinned and pulled out a length of rope. The rope was durable, extremely long, and had a sharp piece of metal tied onto the end. The rope's owner smiled wickedly.

"I've been waiting to use this on you," Sasuke chuckled maliciously, swinging the rope in circles. "I've been practicing with this rope instead of metal links so that I don't hurt myself, but that will change very soon!"

"Oh crap," Naruto eyed the shiny blur that was the sharp 'bullet' creating arcs of grey around Sasuke's body.

The Uchiha smiled and stood in ready position. Naruto gulped, but complied and pulled a pair of combat knives from the two holsters on his thighs. No light reflected off of the knives, make them look like two pieces of rock. Leaves swirled in between the two, making the tension grow.

Sasuke shifted the rope to one hand, then slowly opened the kunai holder on his right leg. Naruto tensed, waiting for Sasuke to make a move. The Uchiha's hand reached into the holster slowly…

A bright pink package of pretzel sticks appeared from the holster, and Sasuke happily munched on a stick. Naruto sweat dropped, staring at the chibi Sasuke making crumbs fly everywhere. The Uchiha finally finished and grinned at Naruto.

"Done yet?" Naruto quipped.

Sasuke's grin became insane and fire appeared in his eyes.

"BY THE POWER OF POCKY I AM NOT!!."

Alarms went off in Naruto's head and he ducked, missing the whip by millimeters. Naruto rolled backwards and leaped into the air, missing another strike aimed at his feet. The blond landed on a pole and surveyed the area in confusion. Sasuke was standing in the same place, grinning up at Naruto's form.

"If Sasuke hasn't moved, then who?!"

Naruto felt something tighten around his leg and was yanked downward. In mid-fall he noticed his assailant, a black-haired boy wielding a familiar rope.

"Sasuke?!"

The blond was slammed into the ground, throwing dust up into the air. He groaned and stood, glaring at the identical copies of Sasuke standing side by side.

The original one _poofed_ into smoke, leaving the Uchiha to laugh at Naruto condescendingly.

"Bunshin!"

Naruto slapped himself, cursing his idiocy.

"I should've noticed! You didn't offer me any pocky!"

"And so the Uchiha is king of the Training Session!"

"Damn you Sasuke!"

Leaves blew in between the two, creating more tension…

"How come every time this story has a dramatic confrontation, the wind picks up?"

The two boys glared into an alleyway, where a brown haired boy with a giant fan stood. There was an awkward silence.

"Wait, I'm in the story?" I questioned, sweat dropping. "Doesn't that, like, break the time space continuum?"

The author of the story immediately caught fire and died.

Naruto dashed toward Sasuke while flipping his knives into inverted grip. The blond let out a yell and swiped at Sasuke, who ducked and skipped backward while throwing the rope at him. Naruto leaned his head to the left on reflex, letting the bullet whiz past his ear. However, Sasuke pulled and the length of rope made a wide arc, wrapping around Naruto's neck. A yank later and Naruto was spinning through the air as a brutal result of the violent unfurling rope.

"Should we take a pocky break?" teased Sasuke, who spun the rope around his arm tauntingly. "I've gotten a new watermelon flavor! It's very nice."

Naruto spit rocks out of his mouth and grinned.

"No chance."

His arm blurred and he released one of the knives with pinpoint accuracy. Sasuke cursed and jumped into the air, evading the knife that would have dug into his leg. However, the boy wasn't in the clear yet.

"Hey Sasuke!"

While still in midair, Sasuke's eyes widened and he glanced up, only to be met with the sight of Naruto closing in faster than a rocket. He tried to spin the rope but it was harder to get the force going while falling. He saw the incoming flash and closed his eyes, awaiting the end.

But nothing happened.

Sasuke hit the ground and coughed, spitting out dirt. Naruto landed behind him. The blond smirked at Sasuke and retrieved his other knife. The Uchiha stood, noticing that his shirt was cleanly sliced in half from his left hip to his right shoulder, yet there was no mark on the skin underneath. He stared at Naruto questioningly, who shrugged.

"I figured it out. You need a good base to use that weapon effectively. I just had to get you off of the ground!"

"Nice but I got you first!"

Naruto tilted his head questioningly, and when Sasuke pointed at his chest he looked down, gaping in wonder. The blonde's white shirt was cut into ribbons, which fluttered miserably in the wind.

"Damn that rope is fast," Naruto exclaimed. "I don't even remember that!"

"It was when I yanked you down from the pole. I spun it an extra couple times on your way down."

Then Sasuke pulled out a box of pocky, orange flavored.

"But for managing to beat me after a while, you earned _two sticks this time._"

The raven-haired boy waited with a pleased look on his face, as if expecting Naruto to burst into tears from the amazing gift. Naruto, knowing Sasuke's temperament with pocky, immediately dropped to his knees and raised his arms to the sky, fake crying.

"THE GODS HAVE BLESSED MEEEEEE!!!!"

"Hmm…I expected you to be more excited…"

* * *

Sorry for the short chapter. I thought I'd post something cause its been a REALLY long time since ive posted so…sorry.


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